The Truth Beneath The Rose
by Pureblood Status
Summary: AU. Juuri never got the chance to turn Yuuki into a human, so she was revealed to the vampire society. Yuuki learns about the secrets of the Kurans and her strength as a pureblood. She tries to befriend a hunter and sort out her feelings for her fiance.
1. Arc 1: Hand of Sorrow

_I know this idea has been used already, but I couldn't resist. The whole **Yuuki never became human and stayed a pureblood vampire**concept is fun to work with. And I get to write Kurancestfluff because I love KxY (and some Zekifluff, maybe onesided). _

_The first arc of the story is going to be Yuuki's life with Cross and Zero. It's not really going to be chapters, more like oneshots and maybe a few drabbles, also chapters with the main Night class students and what they think about the whole Kuran princess deal. _

_The second arc is going to be Yuuki's life before she goes to the Academy. It will be really short. And the third arc will be Yuuki going to Cross Academy. _

_Let's get this show on the road. _

**Hand of Sorrow **

_**The child without a name grew up to be the hand  
To watch you, to shield you or kill on demand**_

_**-Within Temptation**_

_...It's so cold..._

_Snow...Oniisama told me about snow. But something's wrong. It's supposed to be pure white...not red. Where is all the red coming from? _

_I smell father's blood...and mother's blood. _

_Something bad is coming._

_I'm scared. _

A million thoughts flew through Kuran Yuuki's head as she watched the outline of her home from a snowy hill. She could see that the ground around the huge mansion was stained red and she could barely make out the outlines of people moving in front of the house. Yuuki stood there nervously waiting for her brother or parents to come for her.

Everything had happened so fast. After Yuuki had told her parents about the nightmares she had been having they had both run out of the house. It was awhile before Juuri had come back to the basement, alone. Yuuki had been clutching Kaname's arm while they were waiting and as soon as she saw her mother she had run to her arms.

_"What's happening? Where's father!" asked Yuuki helplessly as she looked at her mother with frightened eyes. Juuri didn't answer her question, she just tightened her hold on her beloved daughter. _

_"Yuuki...my Yuuki...You've made your mother so happy. I love you so much," she whispered as a stray tear fell from her eye. She knew that this might be the last chance she would ever see her beautiful daughter's face. She let go of Yuuki and looked at her with a sad smile. "I have to go now. I want you to listen to Kaname." _

_"Mother...?" asked Yuuki, confused by Juuri's strange behavior. Her mother didn't say anything. She moved away from Yuuki and walked over to Kaname. Yuuki watched as they exchanged a few words and Juuri kissed a suprised Kaname quickly on the cheek. She came back to Yuuki again and pulled something from around her neck. It was a silver locket with the design of a butterfly made out of purple jewels on the front. It had been a present from Haruka on their anniversary. On the inside was a picture their whole family had taken together when Yuuki was three. Juuri placed the necklace in Yuuki's small hands and then wrapped both of her own around them. _

_"Everything your father and I have done was to protect you, Yuuki. Please remember that." She gave her daughter one last kiss on the forehead and then swiftly left the room. _

Not so long after her mother had left, Yuuki had started smelling both her parents' blood. Kaname seemed worried also and decided to go check on them. He sternly told Yuuki not to leave the basement and that he would be back as soon as possible. Yuuki sat there trembling after he left as she smelled more blood and heard furious screaming. Finally she couldn't take it any more and flew out of the house. She saw a nearby hill that was a safe distance away from the house and she had been standing there for a long time.

"Where are you, Oniisama?" said Yuuki quietly, clutching the locket her mother had given her tightly in her pocket . She was starting to wonder if she should go back when suddenly she felt a presence behind her.

"Are you lost little girl?" said a raspy voice. Yuuki turned around slowly to see a dark figure looming figure with shining red eyes looking down at her. He was covered in a trenchcoat and the hungry way he was staring at Yuuki was scaring the girl. She stumbled back a few steps. It was the first vampire she had ever met besides her family.

"N-no. I'm not lost," replied Yuuki nervously. The other vampire smirked as he saw the little girl look at him with frightened crimson eyes. He was drawn to this place by the strong smell of blood in the area and he could tell that the girl in front of him was another vampire. He could smell the strong scent of sweet blood coming from her.

"Well, if that's the case, would you mind if I drank your pure blood."

Before Yuuki could react the vampire came rushing at her with barred fangs. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder and she could feel his claws extending.

"No!" Yuuki screamed as she struggled to get away. She was too young for powers to be of any use against the Level E. She closed her eyes as she felt him getting closer.

_Somebody help me!_

Suddenly, Yuuki felt the other vampire pulled away from her. She opened her eyes just in time to see another person's arm slam through the Level E's head. Blood covered the snow around them and the newcomer withdrew his arm from the dead vampire's head. The Level E's body fell limply to the ground before turning into dust. Blood had gotten on the corner of Yuuki's mouth and she licked it away before looking up at her savior. She instantly knew who's presence it was.

"Are you alright, Yuuki?" said Kaname as he knelt down to Yuuki's height with his arms outstretched.

"Kaname-oniisama! You saved me!" Yuuki ran into her brother's arms with relief. Tears fell down her face as she wrapped her arms as tightly as she could around him.

"I was so scared," she whispered as she felt Kaname's arm tighten around her.

"I told Yuuki that whenever she was scared, I would be with her," Kaname said reassuringly as he wiped the tears from her eyes.

_There you go. Chapter one is completed. I was wondering how Juuri would have died if she didn't erase Yuuki's memories. I don't think Rido would kill her on purpose based on the recent manga chapters, so lets just say she died protecting Haruka from that vampire hunter sword and then Rido killed Haruka out of anger. Yuuki was supposed to be staying in the basement like a good little pureblood while her brother kicked some vampire ass, but she got spooked and ran away. And somehow ended up on a hill. She gets attacked by a vampire, Kaname comes and totally massacres it. Next chapter should be out shortly. Please review and give me your opinion._


	2. Arc 1: All I Need

_Thank You to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Before I continue I want to comment on one thing: shipping and pairings. _

_I usually don't get upset over pairings and I usually support canon, but Vampire Knight made that kind of hard. Since I started reading VK my favorite pairing has been Kaname and Yuuki. I don't dislike the idea of Yuuki and Zero being together, I just like KXY more. After I found out they were siblings I was upset because I thought that was the end of the pairing, but then they started talking about pureblood intermarriage and Haruka and Juuri's relationship. So I kept supporting that pairing. _

_I **do not **think incest is right, I think its wrong. But the characters in VK are not real and they are vampires and don't follow human ethics. For non-KanamexYuuki fans I will have alot of Zero and Yuuki fluff and stuff because I think Zero could use some fluff in his life. Poor Zero, I love him so much. He's my favorite angsty ex-human vampire hunter. And Yuuki and Zero are just so cute. _

_Please don't send reviews like "OMG! How can you think incest is right" or "I'm not reading this because its not Zeki" or things along those lines. The story isn't going to be just about romance. Your shipping war is not with me. _

_Anyway, on to other things. As far as the story goes I want to stick to the manga as closely as possible, but circumstances are different. _

**_Summary: Cross and Kaname discuss plans for Yuuki's safety. And how will Kaname tell Yuuki about the death of her parents?_**

**All I Need **

**_Can you still see the heart of me? _**

**_All my agonies fade away when you hold me in your embrace_**

**_-Within Temptation_**

"Here you go, little Yuuki," said Cross Kaien as he put a plate of food on the kitchen table for the little girl. To say he was shocked by the night's events would be an understatement. Kaname had come to his door in the middle of the night with a scared Yuuki in his arms. He knew instantly something must have happened to Juuri and Haruka, otherwise their daughter would have never left the house. He let them in and prepared something for Yuuki to help calm her down.

Yuuki looked at the food, and then at her brother who was sitting in the chair across from her. Yuuki could tell that Cross wasn't a vampire like her and she was confused as to why Kaname would come here. What about their house and their parents?

"Where's otou-sama and okaasama?" she asked innocently. Cross glanced nervously at Kaname, who was looking at his sister with sad eyes. He cleared his throat to get the boy's attention.

"Kaname-kun, maybe you should come to my office while Yuuki finishes her meal. We can talk about certain...arrangements." Kaname nodded briefly and took one more glance at Yuuki before getting up and following Cross out of the room. When they entered the office Cross sat at his desk and Kaname sat in a chair in front of it. The room was silent until Kaien decided to start speaking.

"Are Juuri-san and Haruka-san dead?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. Rido came to the house to try to get Yuuki. They died protecting her. I'll have to tell the council that they committed suicide, though. I took care of Rido," said Kaname. He didn't want to go into details of how he stopped his "uncle".

Cross closed his eyes briefly as took in the painful information. Juuri was a dear friend to him and she was the one that showed him that not all vampires were monsters. He would miss her. The room was quiet once again. Kaname was the one who broke the silence this time.

"By now, word of Yuuki's existence has probably started spreading. The council will want to assign Yuuki and I a guardian to take care of us, but it is not safe for her to be introduced into vampire society at the moment. There are followers of Rido out there who will want to do Yuuki harm. I want to put her back into hiding until she has control of her powers and can defend herself properly. Juuri trusted you, and you are the only person I can think of who Yuuki would be safe with."

"I wouldn't mind taking your cute little sister in," said Cross, "but I'm sure other vampires will be looking for her? And what about you?"

"This will be last place they would think to look and no one knows of your association with the Kurans. She'll be safe here, but I can not stay. I will visit her as often as I can, but I don't want to put Yuuki in unnecessary danger," explained Kaname.

"You can't go back to those people!" exclaimed Cross, jumping out of his chair.

"Haruka and Juuri's death will cause enough uproar. The remaining Kuran clan can't go missing," replied Kaname flatly. He stood quickly and started walking towards the door. He looked behind his back to look at Cross.

"I have to say goodbye to Yuuki." Then he was out the door.

Cross dropped back into his chair dejected and put his head in his hands.

"How could this have happened..."

* * *

Yuuki was staring out the window blankly when Kaname came back into the kitchen. When she noticed his presence in the room she turned around quickly to look at him. He was standing in the doorway and she noticed he was staring at her with those same sad eyes as before. She jumped off of the window sill and went running towards him.

"Oniisama, you're making that sad face again. What's wrong?" she asked. Kaname didn't say anything, he just grabbed her hand and led her into the hallway. He brought her into the living room and they both sat on the sofa. Yuuki snuggled into her brother's side as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"Why did okaasama give me her favorite necklace? And why are we at this house? And who's that man? He's not a vampire..." Yuuki started asking. Kaname sighed. He didn't want to see the hurt on Yuuki's face after he told her what happened to her parents, but it couldn't be avoided.

"Yuuki, do you remember the scary man you were having nightmares about?" he whispered.

"Yes," answered Yuuki, shivering at the thought of the red and blue eyes staring at her all night.

"He came to the house tonight. Otou-sama and Okaasama had to protect Yuuki from that man," said Kaname. Yuuki looked up at him quickly, worry written all over he face.

"B-but they're coming back...right?" she said hopefully. Kaname pulled her into a hug before answering.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki. They're not," he whispered. His heart ached when he saw realization dawn on Yuuki's face. Tears started running down her face as she started sobbing in his arms. All Kaname could do was hold her and offer whatever comfort he could.

_She's so young and innocent. She shouldn't have to go through this, _thought Kaname as he felt Yuuki's arms tighten around him. It felt like they were like that forever until Yuuki sobbing slowly turned into sniffles. Kaname looked up when he noticed Cross standing in the doorway. He was looking at Yuuki with sympathy and pity.

"Yuuki," Kaname said, as he carefully extracted her from his arms. She wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked up at him.

"Yuuki," he repeated, "this place will be your new home. This man is Cross Kaien and he will be looking after you." Cross smiled at Yuuki, who looked back at him nervously.

"But what about you?" she asked. Kaname forced himself to say the words that he knew would probably make Yuuki break down again.

"I can't stay here with you, Yuuki. It would be safer for you if I left." Yuuki looked at him in shock before her eyes filled with tears again.

"No!" she cried, throwing her arms around him again. Her tiny hands held his sleeves in a vice-like grip. She looked hurt, confused, and scared when she looked at him again.

"I can't lose you too, Oniisama!" she said desperately. Kaname looked at Yuuki sadly as he wrapped his arms around her again and gently stroked her hair.

"I'm so sorry, Yuuki. I don't want to leave, but it's the only way I can protect you." He knelt down on his knee. He put his finger under Yuuki's chin and lifted her chin up. He stared into her eyes seriously.

"I'll always be with Yuuki. I'm not leaving forever. I'm going to visit every chance I get. I promise, okay?"

Yuuki looked like she wanted to object more, but she slowly let go of Kaname. She looked down at the floor and nodded her head.

"I understand." Kaname got up and started leaving the room. Yuuki quickly followed after him as he walked to the front door. He opened the door, but stopped before stepping outside. He looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Bye, Yuuki."

Cross stood next to Yuuki as they both watched Kaname go out the door and disappear into the snowy night.

"Bye, Kaname," Yuuki whispered. She put her hand in her pocket and held the locket that was the last reminder of her parents tightly.

_This chapter made me sad. I don't like depressing stuff. _

_Please review and stuff. I'll update as soon as possible. _


	3. Arc 1: Misery Loves Company

_Hey people. Chapter three has finally been loaded. I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last two chapters and everyone who faved or alerted it. You guys are awesome. _

_Rant of the Day: Did anyone else have a fangirly spazz attack when they saw episode two of Vampire Knight Guilty. All the KanameYuuki action...and Kaname looked pretty awesome. Kudos to animation. For some reason I'm starting to like Zero's brother because I think his hair is kinda cooler than Zero's. I just have this thing with anime guy's hair. And Kain's reaction to seeing Yuuki in front of the building is awesome. And has anyone seen episode three yet? Finally get to see Haruka (hot, short-haired older version of Kaname) and Juuri! And chibi Kaname! And Aidou being all amazing and funny and awesome! (End of Rant). _

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or anything that has to do with Vampire Knight. Any lines in this chapter that were in the manga do not belong to me. _**

**_Summary: As he stands on the balcony, Aido wonders how much Kaname has really changed. _**

Misery Loves Company

_"What a pity, two purebloods at once."_

_"How sad, to lose both his parents at such a young age..."_

_"And to suicide..."_

_"But what surprises me the most is what they were hiding from everyone before they died."_

_"Another pureblood child, a young daughter..."_

_"I heard from someone on the council that the Kurans were hiding her in their house for the last five years. And after his parents died, Kaname-sama hid the girl again before anyone arrived at the house. He refuses to tell anyone her whereabouts and has asked that no one look for her."_

_"How strange..." _

Aidou Hanabusa heard all the whispers of the beautiful aristocrats he leaned against the railing of the balcony. It was his first function, but he couldn't really enjoy it since the main topic of conversation was the death of Haruka and Juuri Kuran and the revelation and disappearance of their "pureblood princess". Wherever Aidou went in the room that was all anyone was talking. He wanted to find out more also, but the crowded room was making him uncomfortable. He went to the balcony to get some fresh air and escape the gossip of the party guests.

_Why? _That seemed to be the question of the night. No one could understand why the Kuran family would keep something so important, _another pureblood child, _to themselves. The birth of pureblood was something to be celebrated, not hidden. Was something wrong with the child and Haruka and Juuri were embarrassed? Impossible. For a vampire to be born with flaws, especially a pureblood, was unheard of. Were they protecting her from something? Possibly. Even powerful purebloods had enemies in vampire society. They were honored and feared, but there were those out there who would do anything to taste the rich, sweet blood flowing through their veins. It would be hard for a young girl to defend herself, but she had her parents and older brother to protect her, right? No one could figure out the Kurans' reason for secrecy.

Aidou had been wondering the same thing, but there was another question that was bothering him. Why would Mr. and Mrs. Kuran kill themselves if they had two children that needed them? They had looked at Kaname so gently when he first met them and they didn't seem like the type to commit suicide. Why would they take such drastic measures?

As Aidou was pondering these things, the whispers in the ballroom increased. He turned around to see what was going on and his heart almost stopped when he saw who had arrived at the party. Kaname Kuran was walking through the room, with Takuma Ichijo and Ichiou beside him. He was just as beautiful as Aidou remembered him being. Guests bowed their heads in respect or offered their condolences. Kaname didn't even seem to be acknowledging them as he continued, but then he suddenly stopped by the open balcony doors. He turned his head to lock eyes with Aidou, who was staring at him with a mixture of awe and confusion.

_He seems...different. Like he's changed somehow, _thought Aidou as Kaname walked towards him. He wasn't expecting the pureblood to be happy, his parents had just died after all and he probably missed his sister, but he wasn't expecting him to be so...cold, either. Those same crimson eyes that had been so kind when they had first met now seemed to have lost their warmth. They were empty and cold, but there seemed to be a certain sadness in them that would be hard to pick up on if you didn't pay enough attention. It was like the innocent and friendly child had disappeared.

"My condolences to you and your sister," said Aidou when Kaname finally approached him. The other boy held his gaze for a moment before walking to the railing and leaning against it. Aidou thought Kaname was going to ignore him like he did to the other guests, but he finally spoke.

"Ah...you...you've met my parents before..." The words were spoken so low that Aidou almost didn't hear them.

"Yes. They were kind people," replied Aidou sadly.

"Yes, they were very kind," said Kaname softly. He had been staring blankly at the flowers below the balcony, but he finally looked up at the boy next to him.

"Are you done, Aidou-kun?" When he recieved no answer he turned around to walk away. "Then, goodbye."

"Um," Aidou finally said, racking his brain for something to say, to voice his thoughts. He wanted to know why the other boy seemed so different. Kaname stopped and looked back at him. "Was there something else that's bothering you...something to do with your sister..." Aidou's question was followed by silence. He could almost feel the tension in the air and the suspicion coming from Kaname. It took Aidou a moment to realize that what he said was really stupid. Why couldn't he have just let Kaname walk away?

"Why do you think something about Yuuki is bothering me?"Kaname finally said.

_His sister's name is Yuuki. Gentle princess..._Aidou really wished he hadn't said anything. Yuuki was apparently a touchy subject for Kaname and the pureblood's hard gaze was scaring him. Was he this scary before?

"No...no reason," Aidou said nervously. He had been staring at the ground when he said this, and he almost screamed when he felt a pair of hands griping his shoulders tightly. He looked up to meet Kaname's dark, suspicious glare.

"I asked you...why?" said the dark haired vampire quietly, threateningly. Aidou gulped when he felt the hands tighten. Yes, Kaname definitely wasn't this scary before.

"Y-Your attitude has c-changed. I just assumed it had s-someting to do with Yuuki-sama." Aidou's hands were clenched so tightly he almost broke the skin and they were shaking. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face as he waited to see what the pureblood was going to do. He almost let out a sigh of relief when Kaname finally let go of his shoulders and took a step.

"You're not lying. If you were, and you knew of something that could be harmful to Yuuki, I might have had to kill you." Aidou eyes widened when he heard these words and his heart started thumping loudly. Kaname must have seen the fear in his eyes because the corner of his mouth rose slightly.

"Heh. Just kidding...for the most part. That was a bad joke. I'm sorry for frightening you." Aidou was about to deny being scared at all, but both boys were interrupted by the presence of Ichiou in the doorway.

"Kaname-sama, there are people who wish to pay their condolences to you," said the older vampire, motioning his hand towards the door.

"Yes, I'm coming Ichiou," answered Kaname. Aidou noticed how the pureblood's shoulders dropped slightly and even though the other boy had a mask of indifference on his face he could still see that sadness in his eyes.

_Condolences? Those people just want to try to get into the last Kuran's good graces. It's obvious he doesn't like it. He doesn't need their pity, he needs to be with his sister... _When Kaname started to walk away again, Aidou couldn't hold his tongue.

"Kaname-sama! If you don't like it then just say you don't like it!" He watched as Kaname stopped walking. The same silence as earlier returned.

"Why do you care?" Kaname said quietly.

"Because I'm your friend," replied Aidou, as if the answer was obvious. It didn't matter if they didn't really get along when they were younger. Aidou hated seeing Kaname treated this way.

"You said you hated me."

"No! I just hated myself for not accepting that I liked you!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Aidou slammed his hand over his mouth and his cheeks flushed. How could he say something so embarrassing? But the words were true. When they were younger, Aidou admired Kaname. He was kind and gifted in a way Aidou himself could never be, and Aidou would have loved to be his friend. But his pride and jealousy and fear made him say rude things to Kaname.

"Kaname-sama...I like you and want to be your friend and I want to be your sister's friend, too..."_Is she as happy and innocent as you use to be? _"Even though I've never met her, I care about her, too." _Because she's all you have left. _

Kaname back had been turned to him as he was saying this and he turned around to look at him. In that moment, he saw a faint glimpse of a real smile. His offer of kindness to Yuuki probably meant a lot to Kaname.

In Aidou's heart, he decided to gain Kaname's trust. He would be the one to truly protect Kaname and Yuuki.

_At first this chapter was going to be about Yuuki's first exposure to sunlight, but after watching the latest episode of the anime this chapter was born. I love Aidou almost as much as I love Takuma and I felt like writing about him. It's sweet how much he cares about Kaname. "I LOVE YOU, KANAME-SAMA!" _

_The part where Kaname was like "if you knew something I would have to kill you." He wasn't serious, but said he was joking for the most part because he wanted Aidou to know just how protective he was of Yuuki. _

_Hopefully, I'll be able to update sometime this week. I guess it depends on how many reviews I get..._


	4. Arc 1: Angel of Darkness

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You guys are awesome. I know this chapter didn't come out as soon as I wanted it too. At the moment I am working on a little Ichiru/Yuuki **bonding **oneshot. That might be out sometime this weekend. Let's start this chapter! _

**_Disclaimer: Those darn lawyers are making me put up a disclaimer. I do not own vampire knight. If I did I would have a whole chapter dedicated to HarukaxJuuri! Or maybe just Haruka..._**

**_Summary: Yuuki's first experience with sunlight isn't pleasant. _**

**_I made some changes to earlier chapters so I suggest you go back and reread them. _**

Angel of Darkness

Yuuki woke up in the bed with a start. Her face was covered in sweat and her breathing was labored. Her senses went haywire as she looked around the room in panic and tried to figure out where she was. After a moment, she realized that she was in her new bedroom at Cross's house. The small room was almost empty except for a few pieces of furniture. The window was covered with thick, white curtains and the early morning light from the sun barely came into the room.

As Yuuki waited for her heart to slow down, the memories of last night and her nightmare came rushing back to her. Her eyes darted to the silver locket on the table next to the bed and she reached over and grabbed it. As she looked at the picture of her family she felt tears threatening to fall but she blinked them away. Even though she was in the room alone and no one would see her, Yuuki knew that she would just feel worse if she started crying. She had already cried enough last night. Yuuki couldn't remember ever feeling so lost and scared before. She had not really gotten a lot of sleep, either. Every time she closed her eyes she kept seeing those red and blue eyes staring at her, or bloody arms reaching out for her, taking her family away...

Yuuki forced the images out of her head and decided to take in her surrounding. Her whole world had been the basement under her family's house. After Kaname would come back from a visit to a noble's house he would always take the time to describe to her all the things she was missing outside. She would see pictures in books her parents read to her. Last night had been the first time she had seen snow, even though she didn't really get the chance to actually enjoy it after being attacked by another vampire. Seeing the outside world with her own eyes was different from seeing it in books or having it described to her. She spent most of the night looking out the window of her room and watching the snow gently falling to the ground or the stars shining brightly in the sky. Every new thing she saw was fascinating.

Yuuki looked at the window that was next to the table and realized that the room was brighter than she remembered. Yuuki could hear the wind softly blowing outside and birds chirping and realized that it must be morning. The basement Yuuki use to live in was windowless so she had never seen the sun shining. Her parents told her that vampires sleep during the day and are up at night. Kaname described the sun to her when she asked the difference between day and night. He told her about the beautiful colors the sun would make.

Yuuki crawled off the bed and landed silently on her feet. She approached the window and grabbed the edges of the curtains. When she opened the curtains she expected to see a beautiful sunrise like the ones in her picture books.

Her eyes were met with sharp pain.

* * *

Cross sat at the kitchen table fixing himself some tea. He had just gotten up and was still in his night clothes. He yawned loudly as he continued to stir his tea. He had barely gotten any sleep last night. After Kaname had left he decided to show Yuuki around the house. He tried to make conversation, but the little girl just looked at him with a blank expression and didn't say anything. He figured she must have still been in shock and was confused as to what was going on. She kept one hand wrapped around a locket on her neck. Eventually Cross gave up trying to talk to the girl and left her alone in one of the spare guest rooms. He knew how frightened and sad she must be after losing her parents that night and being in a new place with a total stranger. He gave her space the rest of the night but checked one her once and awhile to see how she was doing. Anytime he came she was either staring out the window or sitting on the bed with her arms wrapped around her legs. She seemed to be able to sense his presence immediately because she always looked up when he would crack the door open. He wasn't nocturnal like Yuuki and eventually he had to go to sleep.

Cross sighed as he stopped stirring the tea and looked down at the cup. When he agreed to let Yuuki live her with him he didn't really think things through. All he knew was that one of Juuri and Haruka's children was in danger and he needed to help. He knew for a fact that he was the first ex vampire hunter to ever adopt a pureblood vampire child. He didn't regret letting Yuuki stay, but a lot of things would have to change in the household.

"Those things can wait till later," muttered Cross. He was just about to take a sip from his cup when he heard a high pitched scream. He jumped out of his chair at the sound and in the process his tea spilled all over his lap. Ignoring the burning pain he rushed to Yuuki's room, where the scream came from. A million possibilities went through his head on what could have happened. He slammed the door open, a huge stain on his night clothes and his hair and glasses askew. His eyes searched the room frantically for Yuuki or any signs of danger. He finally found Yuuki sitting under the window. She had her hands covering her eyes and he could hear her slight whimpering. It didn't take him long to figure out what had happened when he saw the window curtains open and the sunlight filling the room. He let out a sigh of relief since nothing worse had happened.

Cross walked slowly towards Yuuki so she would be alert of her presence. He didn't want to frighten her more. He saw Yuuki stiffen slightly and her wimpering ceased. Her bright crimson eyes peeked at him through her fingers. When Cross stopped in front of her he leaned over to close the curtains and the room went back into a semi-darkness. Cross knelt down and placed a hand on Yuuki's shoulder.

"Are you alright, Yuuki?" he asked gently. Yuuki pulled her hands away from her face and didn't meet Cross's eyes. Her eyes stopped hurting once the curtains were closed and she was relieved that Cross had come. Part of her was embarrased, though.

"When I looked out the window the light hurt my eyes," said Yuuki after a moment of silence. Cross nodded in understanding and got up to sit on the bed. He patted the spot next to him. Yuuki hesitated for a moment but decided to follow him. She sat on the bed and waited for him to say something.

"It's your first time seeing the sunlight. The light from the sun can be painful to vampire eyes," he explained to her. He saw Yuuki's eyes widen at this, but all she did was nod her head. Apparently there were some things she did not know about vampires. Haruka and Juuri did not expect her to come out of hiding anytime soon. Yuuki looked at Cross and asked him a question.

"Will it always hurt my eyes?"

"Your eyes will eventually adjust to the light," answered Cross reassuringly. Yuuki looked relieved at hearing this, but something else seemed to be bothering her.

"Is something else bothering you?" Cross asked. He saw Yuuki glance at the locket she left on the bed and then she looked back at him.

"Cross-san, do you know when Kaname-oniisama will be back?" she asked quietly. Cross knew that Yuuki probably felt a little lonely here. It was obvious that she really missed her brother. He didn't know when Kaname would be able to come visit but he would try to make Yuuki feel better.

"I'll send him a message and ask him, okay?"

"Okay!" said Yuuki, smiling for the first time since she arrived at Cross's house. The thought of seeing Kaname soon made her feel a little better. Cross smiled and got off the bed. He looked down at Yuuki and his smile got even bigger.

"Would you like to help me make breakfast?" he asked enthusastically.

"Yes," said Yuuki. She followed him to the kitchen, where Cross made sure to close all the window blinds in the room. Cross spent the rest of the morning showing Yuuki how to cook and watching the girl's face light up at little things. After they were done cooking the sat down to eat. Yuuki still didn't really say much to Cross and she still felt lonely, but she didn't think living there would be that bad anymore.

_Chapter four is complete. I don't know really know what I'm going to do in the next chapter, maybe when Yuuki gets her fangs. Zero isn't going to be coming anytime soon though. I do have something to tell the readers though. _

_I am going to be taking requests for chapters. If you would like to see a particular thing in vampYuuki's life let me know. Also anything with the members of the Night Class (I might actually have Takuma meet Yuuki sometime soon). It has to take place before Zero comes though. _

_Please review and I will update as soon as possible. Bye! _


	5. Arc 1: The Thirst is Taking Over

_OMG!OMG!OMG!OMG! The last episode of the anime had chapters 34 and 35! It had to be the best episode of Vampire Knight anime so far. And the most surprising part? They didn't butcher the Kaname scenes! (Hugs Kaname and glares at the anime studio people who have been trying to mess up his character) They actually did them right. ~fangirls while reading chapter 45 and fangirls over the awesome that is Cross Kaien~_

_The story is named after a Within Temptation song , The Truth Beneath the Rose. I think it fits the theme of this story and I suggest listening to it. _

_I made a playlist on for this story. The link is on my profile._

_I want to thank all the people who reviewed last chapter. The thing with the locket won't make sense if you haven't read my edit of chapter one. I wanted to make this a long chapter because it covers **stuff! **Anyway, on with the disclaimer! _

_**Disclaimer: Actually, I do own Vampire- (lawyers glare at me and point to their Law Books of Doom) Okay, so I don't own Vampire Knight. A girl can dream can't she? **_

**_Summary: Cross faces a dilemma when Yuuki starts to need blood. What are they going to do when the blood tablets are really ready yet? Kaname comes up with a solution._**

The Thirst is Taking Over

**_You alone are what my soul needs _**

**_You know the thirst is taking over_**

**_Hardly breathe, I'm in urgent need _**

**_You know the thirst is taking over _**

**_-Skillet _**

Yuuki had been living with Cross for three months and she had gotten used to the idea that his house would be her new home. When she had first gotten there she didn't say much and spent most of her time in her room. She was not use to being around humans and she didn't know how they were different from vampires, but Cross did his best to make Yuuki feel as comfortable as possible. He had been one of the few people to know about Yuuki's existence and Juuri had sent him many letters about Yuuki's favorite activities. Yuuki was surprised when Cross bought some of her favorite board games that she used to play with her mother. He would stay up as late as possible with her playing some of the games. Cross was glad to see that Yuuki shared her mother's happy and carefree personality. Soon Yuuki was able to sleep without being plagued by nightmares.

At first the differences in Cross and Yuuki's sleeping patterns made things a little complicated. Yuuki woke up when the sun went down and went to sleep around dawn. Cross's house was in a fairly secluded area, so it was safe for Yuuki to go outside. She loved the outdoors and while Cross was making dinner he would watch from the window as she smiled while climbing trees or played in the snow. When it was became too dark Cross would call Yuuki inside and she would help him finish preparing dinner. Yuuki enjoyed doing that as much as she liked playing outside. They woud eat dinner together while Yuuki talked about a book she read or different times she spent with her family. She listened attentively when Cross would tell her stories about the time he spent with her mother. When dinner was finished Yuuki would go on to watch T.V. or do another activity. As it got later she seemed to become more energetic. Cross needed to get his sleep eventually, though. He tried to stay up late with her the first few weeks but the exhaustion eventually caught up with him. He trusted that Yuuki wouldn't do something to hurt herself because Kaname certainly would not be happy with him if something went wrong. While Cross was sleeping Yuuki spent her time coloring or reading some books Kaname had picked up from their old house or the ones Cross had bought for her. Yuuki missed when her father when her father would read her a story before she went to bed. Kaname would read to her if he ever was able to stay that long during his visits.

The thing Yuuki would look forward to the most was a visit from Kaname. She could always expect to be greeted with the same warm smile and gentle hugs she was use to receiving from him. No matter how confused or sad she was she could count on Kaname to make her feel safe. She would go outside with him for walks around Cross's estate and if the stars were out he would point out constellations to her so he could see her face light up with amazement. She didn't feel that bad when he had to go because she knew he would come back soon. Kaname tried to visit as often as he could but Ichiou knew who he was going to see. Kaname started to notice that his guardian was sending servants to follow him and try to figure out where Kuran Yuuki was hiding. Kaname was usually able to lose them easily but there were a few close calls. Ichiou's new tactic was to make Kaname's schedule as busy as possible so he would not have time to go anywhere. Kaname sometimes wasn't able to visit Yuuki on days he said he would and she became upset. He would make it up to her by staying longer at his next visit and buying her a present.

Young vampire children did not have fangs so Yuuki got what was needed by taking energy from others. Cross had forgotten about this when he first took Yuuki in so during the first few weeks he had sometimes found himself feeling drained or falling asleep while doing paperwork. He had been worried but eventually figured out what was going on. He was still working on fixing the blood tablets. The latest ones had all the essential nutrients of blood but they tasted horrible. He tested them on Kaname and the boy had nearly chocked.

* * *

Yuuki's eyebrows scrunched together as she looked at the clothes hanging in the closet. A lot of them were from her old room but a week after Yuuki started living with him Cross had gone out and bought her clothes more appropriate for the outdoors. The man's shopping sprees frightened her a little. Her eyes travelled to the blue coat with fur lining that she thought would be perfect to wear because of the snowy weather. She jumped slightly so she could pull the coat off the hanger.

"Oniisama is coming over next week," she said to herself happily as she slid into the warm coat. She went to fix her hair in the mirror and skipped to the room door. Night had already fallen and Yuuki could hear the noise of pots and pans coming from the kitchen. Cross would want her to come back inside once dinner was ready so she didn't have a lot of time to go outside. She left the room and headed to the kitchen.

When Yuuki got to the kitchen door she saw Cross standing near the stove and she giggled when she saw his pink apron. Cross turned around quickly and almost spilled the contents of the pot he was holding. He able to avoid spilling the boiling water on his hand.

"Yuuki, good morning! When did you get up?" he said cheerfully as he put the pan back on the stove. He went to the island in the middle of the kitchen and started to quickly chop some vegetables.

"Good morning, Cross-san. I woke up a few minutes ago and I heard you in the kitchen," replied Yuuki. She came into the room and walked to the island. Cross continued chopping as he talked to her.

"I'm trying out a new vegetable soup recipe I got from a friend. Do you want to help?" Cross answered. The girl was so curious and he enjoyed showing her how to make different recipes. He didn't know having a daughter could be so much fun. Even if that daughter was not really your daughter and also was not human.

"Can't I go outside first?' asked Yuuki looking up at him with innocent eyes. She knew there was a chance he might say no because of how dark it was outside so she was going to use the same tactic she used on Kaname: look as cute as possible. Cross stopped chopping and looked at her. He was planning on saying no, but he wavered when he saw the look on her face. He looked away and sighed.

"The weather outside isn't the best so make sure you stay close," he said. A happy smile appeared on Yuuki's face as Cross went and opened the front door. He left the screen door open so he could watch as Yuuki ran into the yard. She let out a content sigh as the cool night air hit her. The stars shining brightly in the sky and the falling snowflakes made it a beautiful night. She was able to see easily in the dark so it was easy for her to watch all the nocturnal animals skittering among the trees. She felt more relaxed and content outside then she felt in the house. She felt free.

Yuuki walked towards one of her favorite trees to climb. It was an old oak tree and Yuuki found that she could see the best from it then from the others. She started climbing it easily but as soon as she was half way up she felt a sharp burning in a throat. It surprised her so much that she lost her focus and fell off the tree. The tree wasn't that tall so the fall didn't do a lot of damage, but it still hurt. Yuuki sat stunned on the ground as the burning in her throat went away only to be replaced by a strong thirst. It felt dry and she put a hand to her throat. This had been happening for a few days now but Yuuki ignored it because all she had to do was take energy from Cross to make the thirst go away. She had been planning to talk to Kaname about it when he came to see her.

Yuuki got up from the ground, dusted herself off, and ran back to the house. Cross was stirring the soup when she came in. He looked towards the door to see a wide eyed Yuuki standing there. The look on her face told him that something was bothering her.

"Yuuki? You were only outside for a few minutes. Did you change your mind about helping with dinner?" he asked. Yuuki seemed to be out of it and didn't answer Cross right away. She shook her head before talking.

"Um, no. I'm still a little tired so I was going to go lay back down in my room." Cross looked at Yuuki with confusion. The girl was always so full of energy and he had never heard her complain about being tired. As far as he knew purebloods didn't get sick. He stopped stirring the food and walked towards her.

"Are you okay? Maybe you should eat something," he said. Yuuki just shook her head and started walking to the hallway.

"No, I'm fine. I just want to go to my room."

"Okay. Come see me if you need anything," Cross said. He was still worried but he went back to stirring the soup.

Yuuki walked to the kitchen door, but stopped before leaving. She looked at Cross, who had already turned around. She knew all she had to do to make the thirst go away was take in some of Cross's energy. She concentrated really hard on the task but it didn't work. She quickly left in a panic and went to her room. She got on the bed and slid under the covers. She curled up as the burning in her throat increased. She felt something point against her lip and put her finger to her mouth. She felt two small but sharp fangs.

_What's happening? _

* * *

Cross was worried about Yuuki. He had not heard a sound from her for two hours straight and she had missed dinner. He usually would have given her time to rest but she had seemed really shaken when she came back from her short trip outside. He thought it would be best for him to check on her to make sure she was okay. He put his bowl in the sink and left the room to head for Yuuki's. He heard no sound from the room so he knocked on the door. He let himself in when no one answered. The room was dark except for a lamp on the table next to the bed. He saw that Yuuki was under the covers and she was shaking. Cross hurried to her side and put his hand on her back.

"Yuuki? Are you alright?" he asked. When she didn't answer he pulled the covers back. He almost jumped off the bed when he found a pair of glowing red eyes staring at him. Yuuki was holding her throat and her breathing was heavy. He tiny hand shot out and grabbed Cross's sleeve.

"Cross-san...I'm so thirsty..."

* * *

The Ichijo mansion was one of the most exquisite mansions in the country. The only mansion bigger than it was the one owned by the Kuran clan. It had been abandoned since the deaths of Haruka and Juuri Kuran, though, and if Ichiou's plans worked he hoped to have it torn down. In the meantime he held many functions for vampire nobility in his mansion's extravagent ballroom. The only person who was unimpressed by the building was Kaname. In his opinion it didn't compare to the Kuran mansion and he wasn't afraid to let Ichiou know that. When Kaname was put under Ichiou's guardianship the elder vampire didn't waste time trying to get Kaname to tell him where Yuuki was. Kaname kept silent because he didn't believe Ichiou's lies, that the older vampire just wanted to find Yuuki so she could be put under proper protection. Yuuki was a young pureblood and if Ichiou knew where she was he would send the dogs from the council after her so he could get to her blood. If he didn't take the blood for himself it would probably be sold. Her death would be put off as an accident. If Kaname attacked Ichiou the council would use that as an excuse to lock him away due to insanity.

Kaname and his friend Ichijo Takuma were sitting at the dining room table after Kaname had gotten back from a talk with Takuma's grandfather. Ichiou had clearly been upset when Kaname once again refused to say anything about Yuuki. The meal would not start until he arrived. Kaname listened as the younger Ichijo talked about two friends he had made at a party the night before. Kaname was interested in what he was saying and instead thought about his next visit with Yuuki that was in two days. She had taken an interest in reading lately and Kaname was trying to decide whether to buy her some new books. He was pulled out his thoughts suddenly by something Takuma said.

"What was that?" he asked the other boy.

"The people I talked to wanted to know how your sister was. You visited her a week ago, right?" repeated Takuma. He knew Kaname had not been paying attention and it wasn't hard for him to guess what his friend had been thinking about. Takuma himself had been shocked when he heard the news about Yuuki. It was obvious Kaname cared about her alot and he was a little hurt when Kaname had refused to let him meet her.

"Yes. She's doing fine," answered Kaname bluntly. Ichijo frowned at Kaname's short reply.

"Oh," he said. When he didn't say anything else Kaname felt a little guilty. He was sure that Yuuki and Ichijo would get along fine and he knew that Ichijo wouldn't do anything to hurt Yuuki. It was his friend's grandfather that he didn't trust. He was sure the council member would use a tatic as low as having his grandson track down Yuuki. The least he could do was assure Takuma that he wasn't mad at him.

"Ichijo,-" started Kaname, but he was interrupted by maid coming into the room. She bowed before approaching Kaname. She seemed frightened about something and would not make eye contact with him.

"Kaname-sama, a message just came for you. The person on the phone said to deliver it as soon as possible." She handed him a piece of paper and bowed again before rushing out of the room. Kaname looked at the paper and his eyes widened. Takuma jumped as the wine glass in front of him shattered as Kaname lost control of his aura. The note was short but the words on it mad Kaname's heart stop for a moment.

**Kaname. Yuuki's in trouble. Come quickly. **

Kaname stuffed the note in his pocket and rushed out of the room before Ichijo could say a word. He was out of the mansion and was running in the direction of Cross's house as fast as he could.

* * *

Kaname had to use all his self control not to break the door down once he arrived at Cross's house. He tried to sense the presence of other vampires nearby or any other danger but it was all clear. He started to think the note might have been a trick by Cross, but the panicked look on the ex-vampire hunter's face when he opened the door made those thoughts vanish.

"What's wrong with Yuuki?" asked Kaname as soon as he was in the house. He quickly headed for Yuuki's room as Cross explained the situation to him.

"She's starting to thirst for blood. She had been acting strange and skipped dinner and when I checked on her everything made sense. I think this has been happening all week but she didn't say anything to me. She can't take energy anymore and she spits out the blood tablets. I don't know what to do." Kaname nodded his head as he took in the information. Purebloods did mature faster than other vampires so it wasn't suprising that Yuuki had gotten fangs at such an early age. Cross was just lucky Yuuki had not bitten and turned him as soon as he went into the room.

They arrived at the door to Yuuki's room and Cross waited outside as Kaname went in. He noticed a glass of water and a pack of blood tablets on the table next to the bed. Yuuki was on her bed with her head in her arms but she looked up when Kaname came into the room. In the blink of an eye she jumped off the bed and ran into his arms.

"Oniisama! I'm s-scared. I'm really thirsty and it won't go away. What's going on?" Kaname picked up Yuuki and put her on the bed. He sat next to her and started taking his jacket off as he talked to Yuuki.

"You have fangs so you don't need to take energy from others. You need blood now."

"I have fangs like you?"

"Yes, like me, and mother and father," he replied. Yuuki suddenly sat on her knees and leaned towards Kaname. She brought her hand to his mouth and parted his lips so she could see his fangs. She pulled away and brought her hand up to touch her own fangs. Kaname coat lay on the table and he pulled the sleeve of his shirt up. He held his wrist out to Yuuki.

"You should take some of my blood. It will make you feel better." Yuuki looked at him in shock and started shaking her head.

"No, I don't want to hurt-" She stopped talking as Kaname used his teeth to make a cut in his wrist. Yuuki's throat went dry as the scent of blood hit the air. The wound on Kaname's wrist healed instantly and he held it out once again to Yuuki.

"You won't hurt me. Now drink." Yuuki hesitated for a moment but finally took Kaname wrist. She licked the blood that came from the healed wound before biting. Kaname tried not to wince as her inexperienced fangs pierced his skin. Instead he sat completly still as Yuuki continued to feed. Minutes went by before Yuuki finally pulled away. The amount of pureblood she drank so quickly made her slightly dizzy. Some of the blood had trickled down her chin and Kaname used his other hand to wipe it away. After drinking pure blood she would not need more blood for a while.

"Do you feel better, Yuuki?" he asked. Yuuki looked up at him and smiled as Kaname wrapped his arm around her. They sat quietly for a minutes until Kaname let go of Yuuki. The look on his face told Yuuki he was about to discuss something serious with her.

"Yuuki, do you remember when I explained the vampire hierachy to you?"

"Yes, you said that we're purebloods and that we have special powers."

"Right, but there is something else about purebloods that make us different from other vampires. If a pureblood bites a human they turn into vampires. So it is very important that you do not bite Cross, okay?" explained Kaname. Yuuki nodded before yawning loudly. Kaname smiled as he pulled the covers of the bed back and Yuuki slipped under them as she rested her head on the pillow. Kaname bent down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Get some rest, Yuuki." He made to get up but he felt a tug on his sleeve. Yuuki looked up at him with sleepy eyes.

"Please stay, oniisama..." She struggled to keep her eyes open so she could see if Kaname would stay. He knew Ichiou would be angry with him if he was gone long. She suddenly felt the bed move and felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her. She opened her eyes to come face to face with Kaname. She smiled as Kaname held her until she finally drifted off to sleep. Kaname didn't care how much trouble he got in with Ichiou. Yuuki was worth it.

_I liked this chapter it was kinda rushed though. I'm working on that. It's fun thinking of different ways experiences in vampYuuki's life. I think after being kept in a basement for five years Yuuki would enjoy some fresh outdoors freedom. And I don't know when Cross was able to get the blood tablets right so Yuuki's going to have to settle with Kaname's blood for the time being (like that's a problem). The next chapter will most likely be a time skip of three or four years. Maybe she'll meet Takuma or something. If anyone has requests let me know. Reviews may inspire me to update this story this weekend. Thanks for reading and please review. _


	6. Arc 1: Imaginary

_The last VK anime episode was pure awesomeness. You all must go watch it. Now. Well, after you read this chapter. _

_On a note of randomness, I posted a new multi-chapter Vampire Knight fanfiction. Please read __Desire and Discontent.__ It's another AU and it's filled with Kuran goodness. And review please. Reviews are nice. _

_This is the last chapter of Arc one. The next chapter is what everyone has been waiting for: ZERO! Be prepared for major angst and sorrow. It seems to follow Zero wherever he goes…_

_This chapter is composed of snippets in Yuuki's life between the last chapter and before Zero comes along. _

_**Disclaimer: I want to own Vampire Knight. I really do because then I would own Kaname, Zero, Haruka, Takuma, and Chairman/Vampire Hunter Cross… (goes off into daydream mode before snapping out of it). Where was I? Oh, yeah, I don't own Vampire Knight. **_

_**Summary: Snippets of the pureblood Yuuki's childhood. **_

Imaginary

_**Let me stay**_

_**Where the wind will whisper to me **_

_**Where the raindrops, as they're falling, tell a story**_

_**In my field of paper flowers **_

_**And candy clouds of lullaby**_

_**I lie inside myself for hours **_

_**And watch my purple sky fly over me**_

_**Don't say I'm out of touch**_

_**With this rampant chaos – your reality **_

_**I know well what lies beyond my sleeping refuge**_

_**The nightmare I built my own world to escape **_

_**-Evanescence **_

**Power. **

When Yuuki was six years old she shattered a window in anger when Cross made her come inside when she didn't want to. That was the first time she used her vampire powers. She had been doubtful about using them again because she was afraid she might hurt somebody, but she quickly got over that fear as she learned what else her powers let her do. Her senses were already superior compared to humans and most vampires so the extra power just made her stronger.

It came with a price, though. She had to keep better control of her emotions and aura. If she became too excited or upset something would end up cracking or exploding. Kaname helped show her how to use her power and control it. Yuuki always wanted to try to erase someone's memory, but Cross wouldn't let her no matter how much she asked.

**Namesake. **

Kaname wanted Yuuki to be prepared for when she went into vampire society. They would have high expectations of her and if she didn't know how to act among them she would be eaten alive. Purebloods were revered, but they always had to keep a constant guard up. She would have to learn the art of manipulation, even if she didn't want to. Kaname wanted her to know that she would not be treated normally by lower class vampires. Kaname explained this to her one night as they walked outside together.

"Why are purebloods so important?" she asked. She had been staring up at the night sky and had been listening half-heartedly as Kaname explained everything to her, but she had still picked up most of the conversation.

"We have no trace of human blood in our veins. That's very rare and it gives us powers that other vampires lack. You should be proud, Yuuki. The Kurans are a highly respected and powerful clan," said Kaname. Yuuki seemed more interested in the conversation now since their family was involved.

"Why?"

"The first king of the vampires was a Kuran. We were in power until one of the kings decided he did not want power given to one person. He established the Elder Council." Yuuki nodded before suddenly laughing.

"So Kaname-oniisama is a prince?"

**Hair. **

Yuuki wanted a change. Not a huge change or something drastic, just a change. Life at Cross's house was becoming sort of monotonous. So Yuuki decided to get a haircut. She wasn't sure how she wanted to cut it, though. She asked Kaname about it but both to her pleasure and annoyance he said that she would look beautiful no matter what she did. Finally she decided to cut it shoulder length.

Everything was set. She sat on a stool in front of the bathroom mirror and the scissors were held firmly in her hand. She pulled up a silky lock of hair and poised the scissors over them. Then she hesitated. The reflection in the mirror looked extraordinarily similar to her mother's. The same ruby red eyes, flawless pale skin, and long auburn hair. Juuri use to let Yuuki brush and play with her curly hair.

Yuuki felt really stupid. There was no reason to have any sentimental attachment to hair. It was just hair, right? Yuuki tried to make the scissors make the first cut, but her fingers wouldn't budge.

She didn't have a lot of things to remember her mother by. It wasn't like she had a problem looking like her mother; Juuri had been a beautiful woman. It's not like the length of her hair was a problem or anything either. Yuuki put the scissors down with a sigh. Maybe she would get a haircut some other day.

**Stupidity. **

He wasn't going to see Cross Kaien because he wanted to. No, the last thing Toga Yagari wanted to do was pay a visit to that idiot. The man who gave up a successful life as a vampire hunter to stay locked up at home while people got attacked by Level E vampires every day. The only reason Yagari was going to see Cross was because the man still had the sharp instincts of a hunter and he had heard some disturbing news concerning the Kiryuu family that he thought Cross should hear. That was the _only _reason he was going to see that man.

Night had already fallen as Yagari walked along the path leading up to Cross's estate. It was a windy night and Yagari's hat almost blew away and he couldn't smoke his cigarette. Yagari could see Cross's house come into view. He quickened his pace as he passed by the oak trees around the house.

Yagari froze as he heard a noise coming from the bushes. He looked towards the source of the noise but he saw nothing. He tried to brush it off as just some animal in the trees but he kept getting the distinct feeling that he was being watched. He stopped when he heard another noise come from behind him. He reached inside his coat and pulled his gun out in the blink of an eye. He turned around and pointed it at-

A little girl. The gun was aimed at her forehead and she was looking at it with a startled expression. Yagari could pick up the scent of vampire coming from her. His eyes scanned the trees quickly to make sure she was alone.

"What are you doing here, vampire?" he asked in a rough voice. The girl's eyes were still on the gun but she didn't back away or flinch at the venom in his voice. She tried to keep the fear out of her voice when she answered him.

"I live here. What are _you _doing here?" She could tell he was a vampire hunter because of his weapon and the fact that he knew she was a vampire. Yagari ignored her question and asked another one of his own.

"Who are you?"

"That's none of your business," she snapped. Kaname said that it was important that nobody knew who she was until she went out of hiding.

"If you don't want a bullet through your head you will tell me who you are and what you're doing here," Yagari replied. He had no patience left. If what the girl already said was true then he already had a lot of things to tell Cross.

"I'm Kuran Yuuki." Kaname would forgive her for telling the man who she was if it meant her life would not be put in danger. Yagari slowly lowered his weapon while he processed the shocking information.

_Kuran…as in the purebloods…_

Yagari let out an annoyed growl. What stupid thing had Kaien done this time? He grabbed the girl's arm and started dragging her towards the house.

"Cross, you have a lot of explaining to do."

**Bittersweet. **

Cross Kaien watched as Yuuki contemplated her next move. Kaname had gotten her into chess recently and she was determined to beat someone. She was afraid Kaname would let her win so she challenged the only other person she could. Cross watched in amusement as Yuuki's eyebrows knit together as she concentrated. With a pang of sadness he noticed her ruby red eyes shined with the same fierce determination Juuri's eyes used to have. She finally decided to move her knight. Cross looked at the board for a moment before moving his own piece.

As Yuuki grew older, Cross noticed that Yuuki became more and more like Juuri. She not only looked like her mother, but she also had the same unwavering and kind personality. Cross was planning to open up an Academy and Juuri said that she wanted her children to attend his school. She wanted there to be a place where Yuuki and Kaname could be free to laugh and cry without being judged. Cross couldn't promise that, but he could promise Juuri's children a safe haven.

"Checkmate." Cross looked up to see Yuuki looking at him with a smug smile. He had been zoning out and wasn't paying attention when Yuuki made her next move. He looked down at the board in disbelief. There was no way she could have beaten him so quickly. The chess board didn't lie, though, and Yuuki had indeed won. Cross was in denial and pointed an accusing finger at Yuuki.

"But-But! How?! I demand a rematch!"

"Sorry, but I have to tell Kaname-oniisama I won."

"Please don't tell Kaname-kun! It's embarrassing."

"No, and stop crying. It won't work."

**Together. **

Yuuki and Kaname sat on the sofa as they watched a rather strange movie. Cross had insisted they all spend some "family time" together and watch a movie. Cross had ditched them within the first twenty minutes of the movie to get some popcorn and had yet to return. The only reason Kaname was enduring the movie was because Yuuki seemed to be enjoying it. He would have some things to say to Cross when the man came back.

"Kaname-oniisama, are they going to be together like their mother and father?" she asked. She was referring to the brother and sister on the screen. Yuuki stared at them with a confused expression as they did some sort of weird dance with their friends.

"No, Yuuki. Humans view things differently."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense" said Yuuki. They tone in which she said this startled Kaname slightly. He always had the fear that one day Yuuki wouldn't want to be with him anymore, that she would leave him for someone else. He would always love her no matter what she did but it wouldn't make the idea of her not choosing him any less painful.

"Do you not want to be with me?" he asked, his voice betraying him. Yuuki turned to look at him, startled by his question and his change of mood. She shook her head frantically.

"No! I didn't mean that. Of course I want to be with you," she said. She kissed his cheek. "You're all I have."

**Heal. **

Cross had to thank God for the amazing healing abilities of purebloods. He almost had a heart attack when Yuuki came into the kitchen one night with her clothes covered in blood. Apparently she had fallen out of a tree and a branch had given her rather deep cuts. Cross avoided telling Kaname about that little incident. He just hoped as Yuuki got older she would become a little more graceful.

The girl could endure any wounds she received without shedding a tear. Like most vampires, she didn't like appearing weak to others. When she came to Cross after the tree branch incident she had seemed more embarrassed than hurt. The same could be said when she burned her arm on the stove and sliced her hand on a knife while cooking. Her strong nature contrasted her delicate appearance. When she entered the vampire world it would be foolish of others to doubt her strength.

Not all of her wounds seemed to have healed, though. Cross would sometimes find Yuuki staring miserably at her mother's locket. Even worse, he would hear her wake up screaming around the time of her parents' death. He would try to comfort her, but his presence only seemed to make her more upset and uncomfortable.

"_Just because we're vampires it doesn't mean we cannot feel the same sadness humans feel…" _

Juuri's words would ring in his ears as he lingered outside Yuuki's room and listened to her heart wrenching sobs. He might not be able to heal all of Yuuki's emotional wounds, but he could let her know he would always be there for her. Just like her mother was there for him.

**Freedom. **

Her beautiful laughter was music to his ears. He watched as she skipped ahead of him, her garnet eyes shining as they tried to take everything in at once. Kaname knew taking Yuuki to this town was a good idea. It was her birthday and this was the best present he could have given her. He knew that she was feeling a little trapped at Cross's house. The town they were in was close to Cross's estate and there was no danger. It was nighttime so the stores were lit up with multicolored signs that made a rainbow down the street. Yuuki grabbed his hand and started talking animatedly.

"Look at that, Kaname-oniisama! What's that? Can we go in that store?" Her excitement was contagious and Kaname couldn't stop himself from smiling. He knew he would have to bring her again sometime if it made her this happy. He nodded to answer Yuuki's question and allowed her to drag him into a toy store with her. As soon as they entered, Yuuki's face lit up with childish glee. She giggled and hurried over to the stuffed animals. She came back to Kaname holding three of them while looking at him with pleading eyes. Kaname knew that he shouldn't be spoiling her, but it was impossible for him to say no when she was looking at him like that. When he nodded she gave him a magnificent smile and she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you!" She went running off to another part of the store. Kaname stopped himself from telling her to be careful or stay close.

He couldn't deny her freedom.

**Tears. **

If there was one person Yuuki could not stand hurting it was Kaname. Even during his saddest moments he would always put her first, and that made Yuuki feel guilty. She noticed the pain in his eyes when he saw her upset or crying. She felt that she was putting him through that pain and for her that was unforgivable. So when she was nine, and Kaname held her as she sobbed over another nightmare, she made a vow. If possible, she would never let Kaname see her cry again.

**Kill. **

Yuuki sat in the highest branch of the oak tree. The night was calm and she was enjoying the quiet atmosphere. Cross had been homeschooling her so she had an Algebra book on her lap as she flipped through it lazily. Math was a bore compared to reading. She was already on an advanced learning level for her age.

Yuuki froze as she sensed something coming towards the house. Whatever was coming was in a very agitated state. Yuuki jumped from the tree to land gracefully to the ground. She kept her senses on alert as she moved quickly and quietly through the small forest. She came to a stop behind one of the trees. It was next to the edge of the yard and she could sense three vampires coming. Yuuki peeked behind the tree at them. There was a black-haired male ant two females, one red-haired and one blonde. At first Yuuki thought that Ichiou had finally found her and had sent them here. When she looked closer she saw the crazed look on the faces of the vampires. They were probably just Level E vampires who saw the light coming from the house and were looking for their next meal. Yuuki looked in the direction of her home. Cross could be in danger if the Level Es made it to the house.

She ran from behind the trees and stood in the other vampires' path. She sent out a menacing aura in hopes that the vampires' would stop. As soon as they saw her they halted in their tracks. The females took a step back, but the male must have been brave because he took a cautious step forward and addressed Yuuki.

"What's a cute little vampire like you doing out here? Have you come to feed from the people living here, too?"

"Leave," hissed Yuuki. Her eyes glowed red and she barred her fangs at them. The two females took a few more steps back and the man hesitated.

"Come on, we can share…" When Yuuki still didn't move he growled, "Or we could just get rid of you." He came running towards Yuuki with his claws out. Yuuki stood her ground and when the man swiped at her she ducked under his arm. She was behind him before he had time to react and her arm pierced through his back. It went straight through his heart. She pulled her blood covered arm out as the man turned to dust.

The red-haired female let out a fierce snarl and came rushing towards Yuuki. Yuuki used her power to send the woman crashing into a tree. The red-haired female was dazed and didn't get up. The blonde looked at her with terrified eyes and when the red head was finally able to get up they both ran away. Yuuki made sure that they really left before turning towards the house. Cross must have heard the noise because he was running up the path towards her.

Ten-year old Yuuki licked some of the blood off her hand. As the man's dust blew away she felt a twinge of sympathy and pity. The Level Es had no control of their vampire nature and were just trying to survive. She probably did that man a favor by killing him. She was able to save Cross and that Level Es future victims.

Her sin was justified.

**Friend. **

Ichijo Takuma was in a good mood. He was finally going to meet Kaname's sister, Yuuki. Ichiou was out of town on a business trip so that meant Kaname could spend more time with Yuuki. Kaname had to go to a council meeting today, though, and apparently it was Yuuki's birthday. Sometimes either Kaname or Cross would bring Yuuki to the town that was near Cross's house. Kaname would always bring Yuuki to town on her birthday and she would be really disappointed if he missed it today. So Kaname was sending Ichijo to meet her in town and spend time with her until the council meeting was over. Kaname trusted Ichijo to be with Yuuki since his grandfather was out of town.

The sun was setting on the horizon. Most vampires were waking up around this time, but Ichijo had been up since noon reading some new mangas. He now sat comfortably in the car. He was wondering what Yuuki would be like. Was she as serious as Kaname or did she have a more carefree personality? He still didn't know where Yuuki lived or who with but Kaname must trust that person a lot. Kaname wasn't one take risky chances especially when it concerned Yuuki's safety. Ichijo knew that Kaname trusted him not to tell his grandfather about this meeting. He had everything planned out. However, Kaname would still not tell Ichijo when Yuuki would come out of hiding and enter vampire society.

The car finally arrived at the town. Ichijo said goodbye to the driver before stepping out. He was supposed to be meeting Yuuki at the plaza fountain so he decided to start looking for it. As he walked down the streets people stared at him. His pale blonde hair and green eyes fit his handsome features. After searching for a few minutes he found what he was looking for. The huge plaza was lit with lamps and there were street performers scattered across the area. The huge fountain in the center was spouting water in an elaborate fashion. Ichijo started walking to the fountain. He tried to pick up the scent of pureblood in the air because he didn't know what Yuuki looked like. He hoped that she was similar to Kaname and would be easy to spot.

Ichijo stopped at the fountain. No one was there expect for a few humans throwing coins into the water and making wishes. He was starting to think that Yuuki had not arrived yet when he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see a girl with a pair of ruby red eyes looking up at him. She looked like a doll with her delicate features framed by auburn hair, her hair pulled back with a long ribbon, and a cute yellow dress on her petite body. Ichijo had only met Kuran Juuri once and this girl looked very similar to her.

"Are you Ichijo Takuma?" she asked in a small voice. Cross had dropped her off a few minutes ago. Yuuki had felt the presence of another vampire in the area and Kaname had told her what Ichijo looked like. The first vampire she had met had attacked her so she had been a little frightened when Kaname had told her that she would be spending her birthday with Ichijo until his council meeting ended.

"Yes, I am. Happy birthday. You must be Yuuki-sama," replied Ichijo, smiling. Ichijo was able to address Kaname by his first name because he considered them close friends. However, he was raised to respect purebloods. Yuuki looked at him with confusion. She was surprised to be addressed so formally.

"Sama…?" she asked, "You call Kaname by his first name." Ichijo wasn't sure if Yuuki knew how honored purebloods were in vampire society and that she would be addressed in a formal manner by others in the future. He laughed nervously.

"Well, we just met and I didn't want to be rude-"

"You can call me Yuuki," she said, cutting him off. Her tone left no room for argument so all Ichijo could do was nod. She gave him a dazzling smile that he couldn't help but return. She seemed like a sweet girl, but she did have some Kaname-like characteristics.

"Okay, Yuuki. What do you want to do?" he asked. She smiled again before grabbing his hand. She started to lead them out of the plaza and into the streets. Most of the shops were closing for the day but some of them were still open. Yuuki looked back at Ichijo.

"Are you hungry, Ichijo-kun, or do you want to look at the stores?"

"It's your birthday. We can do whatever you want to do."

"The bakery is still open. Cro-I mean Kaname-oniisama ordered a cake for us to eat together later, but the bakery has the best parfaits." She kept on her path until suddenly she felt Ichijo come to a stop. She turned around to find the noble frozen in place with a dazed expression on his face. He was staring at the bookstore they almost passed by. There in the display case were a stack of mangas that Ichijo had been looking months for and couldn't find anywhere. Yuuki looked at Ichijo and then to the bookstore window. She let go of his hand and went up to the window.

"Mangas…what are those?" She looked at Ichijo for an answer. Ichijo snapped out of his trance and looked at Yuuki in horror. Was the girl joking?

"You don't know what a manga is?! What has Kaname been teaching you?" He grabbed her hand and started leading her into the store. It was a small room but they had rows of books, both new and old. There weren't a lot of customers in the store so the cashier, a kind looking old woman, noticed when they entered.

"Can I help you?" she asked when Ichijo and Yuuki walked up to the counter.

"Yes, I would like to see those mangas in the display case," said Ichijo. The woman frowned.

"I'm sorry, dear, but those are for display only. They aren't supposed to be sold until June." Yuuki noticed how Ichijo seemed really disappointed by the news. She tugged on his sleeve until he was low enough for her to whisper in his ear.

"Don't worry. I'll get them." She stepped away from him and went back to the counter. She cleared her throat to get the woman's attention.

"Excuse me, ma'am," she said in a sweet voice. The cashier looked up from her work and smiled.

"Can I help you, dear?"

"Yes. Could we see those manga for just a few minutes? It's my birthday and it would mean a lot to me," she said. She gave the woman an adorable imploring look that was hard to say no to. The cashier hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"Sure, but only for a few moments and then you have to return them." She went to the display case and pulled the mangas out. She handed them to Yuuki who smiled at her.

"Thank you," she said. Yuuki grabbed Ichijo's hand again and pulled them to the reading tables. She handed the mangas to Ichijo but kept one of them. She flipped through it quickly. She looked at Ichijo, who already had his face buried in one of the volumes. She looked back at the one she had and started reading. She soon became engrossed in the story and both she and Ichijo sat in companionable silence while they read. They both finished reading at about the same time.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Ichijo.

"There celebrating a festival in the plaza. The fireworks are going to be starting soon."

Ichijo went to return the mangas. He gave the woman a charming smile and thanked her. As he and Yuuki walked back to the plaza they talked about random topics. Ichijo was telling her a story about something funny that happened to him and Kaname when a noise interrupted him. There was a bunch of yelling and laughing coming from behind them. When they turned around they saw a bunch of teenagers running down the street. They had bottles of alcohol in their hands and they were goofing off. People moved out of the way when they passed by but when they passed by Yuuki and Ichijo one of the boys tripped. His drink fell out of his hand and spilled on Yuuki's dress. When he got up he didn't even say he was sorry, he went walking off after his friends.

Yuuki looked at her ruined dress. It had been a gift from Cross and it was one of her favorites. Her eyes started to tear up but she stopped herself from crying. Purebloods didn't cry in front of others. Ichijo took in her sad expression and turned to glare at the boys a few feet ahead. Humans were so thoughtless sometimes. He would drag that boy back and make him apologize if he had to. He started to go after the boy when Yuuki grabbed his arm.

"Ichijo-kun, don't worry about it. It was an accident."

"But they-"

"Please, let's just go back to the plaza. I have a feeling Kaname is going to be here soon anyway."

"Okay." Ichijo took off his coat and gave it to Yuuki. It was big on her and was able to cover up the stain. They ended up passing by the group of teenagers and as soon as Yuuki walked past them all their bottles exploded. When they arrived at the plaza the fireworks show already started.

"Kaname-oniisama is here!" she cheered.

"Where? I don't see- Hey, Yuuki, wait!" Yuuki ran away from Ichijo and disappeared. Ichijo followed Yuuki as she ran through the swarm of people. When he finally caught up with her he was out of breath. Yuuki had gone to the fountain and was standing there with her arms wrapped around Kaname as she greeted him. Kaname looked up when Ichijo arrived and sent the noble a look that made a shiver run down his spine. Kaname's eyes drifted to the stains on Yuuki's dress.

"Ichijo, would you like to explain what happened to Yuuki's clothes?" Ichijo flinched at Kaname's tone and started stuttering over his answer.

"Well, you see Kaname-"he started saying, but Yuuki stopped him.

"It was nothing, Kaname-oniisama. Ichijo-kun was really nice and took care of everything. He's a good friend," said Yuuki.

**Possessive. **

Kaname was jealous. Ever since Yuuki and Ichijo met they had been sending messages to each other. Yuuki seemed to like him a lot. Ichijo was trying to get Yuuki into all the mangas he read and Yuuki was enjoying them. Kaname was lounging on the sofa and glared at the manga Yuuki was currently reading. Yuuki noticed Kaname's expression and put the manga down. She giggled as she came towards him.

"Why is oniisama making such a mean face?"

"I just don't think you should be reading those mangas. It's a bad habit Ichijo should never have gotten you into," said Kaname in a neutral tone, his face blank. Yuuki saw through his mask, though, and she looked at him with a smirk on her face.

"Somebody's jealous," she said in a sing-song voice. Kaname looked away from her guiltily. Was it really that easy for her to read him? Yuuki sighed at Kaname's expression and went to sit on his lap and rest her head on his chest.

"You have no reason to be jealous. Ichijo-kun is just a new friend," she told him reassuringly. Kaname instantly felt ashamed at his behavior. He had always been upset with his parents for preventing Yuuki from enjoying the outside world and he was forced to do the exact same thing. He would just have to deal with the fact that he wouldn't be the only person important to Yuuki. She was a charismatic girl and people would be drawn to her. He patted her hair.

"I'm sorry I'm being so selfish. Maybe I'll invite Ichijo to come with us next time we go out."

**Special. **

Kaname and Yuuki sat quietly on the sofa on a lazy afternoon. Yuuki had just woken up a few minutes ago and wasn't in the mood to do anything but lay around. She was curled up in Kaname's side while she rested. Kaname had one arm around her while he skimmed through some documents Ichiou had given him. He really had no interest in the papers, he was more aware of Yuuki rhythmic breathing and the warmth that came from her small form. A couple more minutes went by before Yuuki finally stirred. She sat up and yawned as she stretched her arms over her head. She peered curiously at the papers in Kaname's hands.

"That looks boring, oniisama," she stated, "Why do you have to read them?" Kaname gave her small smile before putting the papers on the table.

"Ichiou gave them to me and I have to read them," he said. Yuuki frowned at the answer.

"That Ichiou man does not sound like a really nice person. I wish Kaname-oniisama could live here," she said. Kaname gave her a sad smile.

"Me too." He gently caressed Yuuki's cheek, "Do you want to go for a walk?" Yuuki grabbed his hand and wrapped both of hers around it.

"Okay, but," Yuuki looked up at him with uncertain eyes, "Oniisama, I'm thirsty." Kaname knew what she was asking. Yuuki was too shy to directly ask for his blood. He just nodded his head and Yuuki took that as confirmation.

Yuuki sat on Kaname's lap. Her small hands went into Kaname's hair as he tilted his head to the side. She leaned forward and slowly licked his smooth neck before she sank her fangs in. She always tried to be as gentle as possible as she drank from him. Kaname placed one hand on Yuuki's back while he buried the other in her thick hair. The sound of Yuuki drinking his blood made him feel slightly lightheaded. It was a pleasure among vampires to have your blood taken by a loved one. This was something special that he and Yuuki could share together. There were bound by blood.

**Protector. **

Aidou Hanabusa didn't think his first meeting with Kuran Yuuki would be so…_unusual_. He didn't think he would end up saving her either. He frowned as he wiped the mud out of his hair. He wasn't really supposed to be in this town. He had forgotten his mother's birthday and he had stopped at this small village on the way home so he could hurry and buy a present. Aidou stood out in the crowd with his handsome looks and expensive clothing. He had been looking for a jewelry store when the scent of pureblood caught his attention. He turned around to see an auburn haired girl standing outside a bakery across the street. She was picking at a chocolate chip cookie and her crimson eyes were scanning the crowd. They froze, though, when they landed on him. A panicked look passed over her face for a brief second. Aidou thought she looked familiar, but he didn't get the chance to take a closer look because the girl quickly started walking away. Aidou was determined to find out who she was so hurried to follow her. Her burgundy summer dress made her stand out in the crowd but she was fast and he lost her a few times. They eventually came to an open plaza. It had rained recently so there was mud everywhere. Aidou quickly scanned the area and finally found the girl rushing towards the fountain. She looked back at him so she didn't notice the huge puddle in front of her.

"Watch out!" yelled Aidou. The girl looked back in front of herself in time to notice the puddle. She moved out of the way but it put her in the path of a speeding cart. Aidou ran as fast as he could in front of the humans and pulled the girl out of the way. He lost his balance, though, and ended up landing in a huge mud puddle. Thankfully the girl didn't fall in with him. She stood there and sent a shocked look at the cart that went by and then to Aidou sprawled in the mud. She held out her hand to the dirty Aidou. He hesitated before taking it and pulling himself up.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for you to fall in the mud," she said. Aidou stared at the crimson eyes looking apologetically at him. Finally he realized why they looked so familiar. He quickly stood straight and the hand that the girl was holding started to tremble slightly.

"You…You're Kuran Yuuki, aren't you?" Yuuki's eyes widened and she let go of Aidou's hand immediately. Her eyes were no longer apologetic. She took a step back as she looked at Aidou suspiciously.

"I should really go…" she said. She turned to walk away but Aidou rushed to stand in front of her.

"No! Please, Yuuki-sama, I promise I won't tell anyone I saw you here." His heartbeat sped up as Yuuki looked at him with the same penetrating gaze Kaname did. She checked to make sure he wasn't lying before nodding. She still didn't let her guard down as she went to sit on the edge on the nearby fountain. Aidou followed and sat a safe distance away from her. He grimaced when he saw his reflection in the mirror. He would have to find somewhere to clean and change so his mother wouldn't kill him when he got home.

A moment of awkward silence went by as Aidou twisted his hands nervously. People gave Aidou weird looks as they passed by. Yuuki was the first one to speak.

"Who are you?" she asked. She decided that Aidou wasn't a danger and she felt more comfortable around him. Aidou turned towards her when he heard her bell like voice address him.

"Aidou Hanabusa," he answered timidly. He glanced at Yuuki quickly. She seemed interested with his answer and nodded.

"I've heard of your family. Actually Kaname-"she froze mid-sentence. She jumped up from her seat swiftly. "Kaname-oniisama! I was supposed to wait for him at the bakery." Kaname would be upset that she ran off. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd as she tried to see if he was nearby.

"I'm sorry but I have to go," she told Aidou. He looked a little disappointed that their conversation was over but he just nodded. He got up and bowed slightly to Yuuki.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you again, Yuuki-sama…sometime."

"Yeah." She made to walk away, but stopped. She turned around to look at Aidou.

"Thank you," she said kindly. Aidou could only stare into her shining crimson eyes. She gave him a warm smile before finally running off. Aidou watched as her shiny auburn hair and red dress blew in the wind.

He was in love.

**Uncle. **

Yuuki never asked for the details of her parents' death. She always assumed that the monster in her dreams was what killed them. As she got older, though, she began to wonder what had the power to kill two purebloods. She couldn't keep blaming a fictional creature for their demise. She was sure that Kaname knew what happened to them and one night as they sat together in front of the blazing fireplace of Cross's living room, she couldn't stop herself from asking what she had been thinking about for months.

"I want to know how mother and father died," she stated. The calm atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. Yuuki felt Kaname stiffen and he pulled away from her. Minutes went by in silence, and Yuuki thought that Kaname wasn't going to answer. He eventually spoke but it was a low whisper.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who was the monster that killed them?" Kaname sighed. He didn't want to tell her. She was so innocent and didn't deserve to know about the cruelty of her parents' death. He wanted her to stay in her happy environment as long as possible. However, he could never lie to her and if she really wanted to know he would tell her.

"Father and mother had an older brother, Rido. They had him locked away after he committed some horrible crimes and proved to be a danger. He somehow found out about your existence

and he escaped. He came to our house and mother and father stopped him from getting to you," he explained. He refused to give Yuuki anymore nightmares by telling her all the bloody details of that night.

"Their…own brother killed them?" Yuuki asked, horrified. She had been expecting a lot of answers, but to learn that her parents' own brother, her uncle, murdered them sent her into shock. Why would he kill him? And why did Rido want her? Yuuki couldn't understand what was so important about her existence that her parents had to die to protect her.

"Is he dead?" she asked Kaname. She saw a flicker of something in her brother's eyes…_fear, doubt, anger_…but it was gone in a flash. Soon his arms were around her and he held her close.

"You don't have to worry about him. You're safe now." Yuuki noticed that he avoided her question but decided not to press the issue any further. She trusted him and he must have a good reason not to give her an answer. For once in her life, she felt an emotion she had never felt before and it was directed towards her uncle. She felt complete and utter loathing. Kaname heard her whisper something so low that he almost missed it.

"I hate him."

**Addiction. **

Eventually Cross was able to perfect the blood tablets. They were nothing compared to real blood, but they tasted a lot better than the nauseating prototypes Yuuki had to test for him. Yuuki thought that once the blood tablets were ready she wouldn't have to drink from Kaname. However, Kaname said if she ever needed his blood he would give it to her willingly and Yuuki found she could not help but take his offer.

There was something about Kaname's blood that drew her in. It was delicious and much more filling than the blood tablets. Yuuki was sure that if she were to try someone else's blood it would pale in comparison.

She once heard that vampires could sometimes get a glimpse of the thoughts of the person they were drinking from. Yuuki learned that this was true. Through Kaname's blood she saw how he thirsted for her blood. She saw how strong his love was for her and how committed he was to her.

And it all frightened her.

Kaname was always loving and patient to her. Even though he promised that they would be together like their parents she always had a small fear that he would disappear one day. She wasn't sure she was really the wonderful person he thought she was. She was afraid that she would fail to reach his expectations of her and would leave. Yuuki felt guilty for taking Kaname's blood when she really didn't need. She couldn't stop, though. Part of her thrived to see how high Kaname held her and another part, her vampire side, found his blood to addicting to give up. She offered her blood to him in return, but he always refused because he thought that she was offering it out of guilt or obligation.

He never would have thought she offered it to him because she wanted him to have it.

**Nightmare **

_She kept running through the dark maze. The strong scent of blood was overpowering. She had to find somebody to help her. Mother. Father. Kaname. She had to find somebody. Panic overtook her as she looked behind her. The red and blue eyes were still following her and they kept getting closer every minute. _

_Yuuki found herself falling as she tripped over something. She landed painfully to the ground and cried out in anguish. She tried to avoid looking at what she tripped on. She already knew. This was the same dream and she knew what was going to happen. Against her will, though, she found her head turning to the ground. She chocked on a sob as she stared at the ground. The bodies of her parents and brother lay there in a bloody mess. They were dead…and nobody was going to save her. The different eye colored monster let out a cruel laugh as it stalked menacingly to where she lay immobilized. _

Yuuki woke up in her bed with a scream. She was shaking uncontrollably as she tried to banish the horrid images from her mind. She knew it was going to happen. Every year around the time her parents died she had the same nightmare. Yuuki thought that as time went by things would get better, that the nightmares would eventually stop, but it never changed.

Suddenly Yuuki felt warm arms wrap around her. She tried to hold back her sobs but she couldn't stop herself from shaking.

"Calm down, Yuuki. I'm here," said Kaname's soothing voice. He stroked her hair gently and whispered comforting words. Finally Yuuki was able to calm down enough to talk.

"I-I'm sorry, Kaname-oniisama."

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"I k-keep dreaming a-about that monster Rido. Only a-around this time. W-when they d-died." She couldn't hold back her sobs now. She cried into Kaname's shirt as his arms tightened around her. Minutes went by until Yuuki finally stopped crying. She pulled away from Kaname and looked up at him.

"Do you think you can spend the day here? Just until I can get back to sleep," she asked.

Kaname looked at Yuuki's tear-stained face. He had come to Cross's house to pick up some papers while Yuuki slept and had rushed to her room when he heard her scream. He did have to go to another meeting with Ichiou, but he couldn't leave when she looked so upset.

"Sure," he answered. He lied down on the bed next to Yuuki and put one arm around her.

"If Kaname-oniisame is with me I won't have any nightmares."

**Monster. **

Yuuki felt a little guilty about sneaking into Cross's study while he was sleeping. She got bored easily and she thought that Cross might have something interesting in his office. So while Cross slept Yuuki slipped into the study. She was against turning the light on so she left the room in its darkness. It was a fairly large study, with the walls lined with bookshelves and a huge oak desk in the center of the room. Yuuki skimmed through the titles of the books on the shelves but found nothing of interest. She was starting to think coming to the study was a bad idea, when a trunk buried deep in the corner of the room caught her eye. It was big and a large lock kept it closed. Yuuki knelt in front of it and used a claw to pick the lock. Inside the trunk were a collection of dusty old books. A she sorted through them she found that they all had a weird insignia on them surrounded by the words "Hunters Association". At the bottom of the trunk was a wrapped up sword.

_What is all this, Cross-san? _thought Yuuki. Against her better judgment she found herself taking the wraps off the sword. When she was done she slowly unsheathed it. It was beautifully crafted and Yuuki ran her finger along the blade. She flinched when the sharpness of it cut her finger. She waited for her wound to heal but the trickle of blood continued to travel down her hand. Yuuki quickly tossed the sword back in the trunk as she tried to figure out why Cross had a vampire hunter weapon. She coughed as a puff of dust came up when she pulled one of the books out. She quickly scanned the pages as she flipped through the biggest book.

"_Beasts in human form…"_

"_The most effective way to exterminate a Level E is to…"_

"_The most powerful vampires are the purebloods. The true vampires among vampires, they should be avoided…" _

"_Hunter weapons will only weaken a pureblood's ability to heal…"_

"_Aim for the heart or the head…" _

Yuuki was filled with dread as she closed the book. Cross had a vampire hunter sword and books…but there was no way the friendly man, who did his best to make her feel as happy as possible after the death of her parents, could actually be a hunter. Had Cross just been giving her a false sense of security? Did Kaname know about this? Was Cross like those other hunters and just thought she was some sort of monster?

Yuuki froze as light suddenly filled the room. The person standing in the doorway was a familiar presence, but Yuuki's newfound knowledge made her got on the alert. She slowly turned around to face Cross. Yuuki's whole body was tense, as if waiting for an attack any moment. Cross didn't look dangerous, though. He looked older, weary, and really sad.

"I didn't want you to find out," he said solemnly. He came into the room and closed the door. Yuuki, already nervous, quickly backed away from him when he took a step towards her.

"What are you?" she whispered. Cross sighed.

"We need to talk."

_I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It took forever to write. _

_I find Aidou's man crush on Kaname quite amusing but if he never knew Yuuki as a human he would probably transfer his love to her. (hugs cute Aidou)_

_Don't worry about those jerks that were messing with Yuuki when she was spending time with Ichijo. Kaname took care of them. Muhahaha-okay I'm done. _

_I trust Yagari enough not to tell people about Yuuki._

_Ichijo Takuma = total love. _

_KanamexYuuki = cuteness _

_For all you Zeki fans out there I'm going to be dishing out some major angsty Zeki fluff. Just because they're not my number one pairing doesn't mean I don't like them. I actually love all Vampire Knight pairings. Shout out to the yaoi fans! _

_It's kind of hard writing vampYuuki's character. I want her to keep that same kindness about her but I don't think she would be so naïve. I want to update by this weekend but I guess we will see what happens. Please review! I want to make sure I didn't make anyone OOC. _

_Bonus note: I am in the need of a beta. I have writing doubts. If there is anyone out there who has written a VK fanfiction before and thinks they can help me just send a PM or say something in your review. _


	7. Arc 2: Ashes

_Happy Holidays everybody! I finally introduced Zero into the story. Unfortunately, Kaname isn't in this chapter, but he will come back. I want to thank everybody who reviewed/faved/alerted this story. _

_Special thanks to **VampireMaddy**, who is my new beta and edited this chapter to perfection for me. After reading this chapter, you must all go read the _**Prince and the Pauper** and all of _**VampireMaddy's **other stories. They are all amazing and make the Kaname/Yuuki fangirl in me happy. _

**_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. If I did I would have made sure the anime was done correctly and followed the manga. -is upset that the Kaname/Yuuki kiss was cut-_**

**_Summary: After the death of his parents, Zero Kiryu is taken in by Cross. However, he is unaware that Yuuki, a pureblood, is also living with Cross. _**

Chapter 7:

Ashes

**_What ever happened to the young man's heart  
Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart_**

**_-Shinedown  
_**

_Dear Yuuki, _

_There is an urgent matter that needs to be seen to immediately but I did not wish to wake you up. I should arrive back home later tonight. Be safe. _

_Love, _

_Uncle Cross _

Yuuki scanned over the note before placing it back on the kitchen table. At least Cross had left a note. She had been a little surprised to wake up that afternoon to an empty house; Cross usually told her beforehand whenever he would be leaving the house for a long time. Not that he doubted she could defend herself; he just wanted her to be prepared.

Yuuki opened the container of blood tablets on the table and dropped two of them in a glass. She couldn't stop a small frown from forming on her face as she watched the dissolving tablets turn the water a light pink. She wasn't looking forward to their bland taste but at least they did curb her thirst temporarily. At least until she saw Kaname again… Yuuki abruptly stopped her thoughts as she felt the familiar burn creep into the back of her throat. She quickly drained the rest of the glass. The blood tablets would have to do for now.

Yuuki went to put her glass away and then proceeded to pull out ingredients to make a quick breakfast. Her mind drifted as she quickly cut some vegetables. She would miss this house; she had started to think of this place as a home. She had gone through both happy and distressing experiences here but she wouldn't want to lose those precious memories. Although, Yuuki had finally reached her full power as a pureblood and she had nothing to fear from lower class vampires.

In two months Yuuki would be leaving Cross' comfortable home and would be moving into Ichijo manor. She had been overjoyed when she first heard the news. Now she would always be by her onii-sama's side and she would be able to spend more time with her friend, Takuma. She would finally have that freedom she always dreamed of.

As the news started to really sink in Yuuki realized that she would really miss Cross' house. She would even miss Cross' strange behavior. Yuuki had to admit that she had been troubled when she found out Cross was a hunter, but she realized that he would always be the same loving and compassionate man he had always been to her. She had come to thank of him as family and recently even started to refer to him as "uncle" just to please him. She knew it wouldn't be the same at Ichijo manor. She would have Kaname and Ichijo, but she was still a pureblood and would be treated differently from now on.

Yuuki poured the finished soup into the bowl. As she walked to her room to eat her dinner she couldn't shake off the feeling that something very bad had happened tonight. She just hoped Cross was okay.

* * *

Kaien Cross stood outside the Kiryu (a/n: I know I spelled that wrong) estate as workers from the Hunters Association carried two body bags out of the house. The atmosphere was tense and no one was speaking. Everyone was still in shock that the famous Kiryu hunters had been murdered. Most of the hunters ignored Cross, and if they did look at him they just gave the ex-hunter a wary glance. Cross was waiting for a familiar face, and he was relieved when Yagari finally exited the house and came walking towards him. Yagari looked weary and uneasy, and he waved off anyone who came towards him with an annoyed gesture.

"Where is Zero?" asked Cross. Yagari pulled a cigarette and lit it whilst ignoring the disgusted look Cross cast the cigarette before answering his question.

"The doctors have just finished checking his wounds and now he's waiting in the living room." he replied. Cross gave him a knowing look, but thankfully he avoided the subject.

"And still no sign of Ichiru?" said Cross.

"No. The vampire probably killed him…or took him with her."

Yagari and the other hunters had searched the whole area, but they had found no sign of Zero's twin. Zero had not said a word since the accident and just looked away whenever someone mentioned Ichiru's name. A moment of silence passed between Cross and Yagari as they watched the last of the Association workers leave.

"This all could have been prevented. They knew Shizuka Hio would have wanted her revenge upon the ones who killed that ex-human of hers. The Hunters Association did nothing to protect them." said Yagari, as he glared at the retreating cars. Cross just shook his head.

"Yagari, you know how hard it is to stop a pureblood. She would have gotten to them eventually. Shizuka Hio was an extremely powerful vampire."

"I know… but Zero…" whispered Yagari. He looked at the house where his young pupil had been left alone. He was the first one to arrive at the Kiryu house after the accident and had been horrified to find Zero curled on the ground among the dead bodies of his parents. Yagari had also been the first one to find the bloody bite marks left on Zero's neck…

"The Association has already agreed to put Zero under my guardianship for the time being," stated Cross, interrupting Yagari's thoughts. The dark-haired hunter looked at Cross in disbelief, but his shock was soon replaced with anger.

"No way in hell, Cross! The boy just lost both his parents and brother to a pureblood. So far I've kept my mouth shut about that _thing _you've been hiding in your house, but if you think–"

"What other options does Zero have?" said Cross sharply, cutting him off. Cross rarely got angry and Yagari was momentarily lost for words as the ex-hunter glared at him. He soon gathered his thoughts and snapped back at Cross.

"He could stay with me."

"I know how much you care about Zero, Yagari, but you're simply just too busy. You are the Association's number one hunter after the Kiryus and the association is going to want you to help with the search for Shizuka Hio. And, even if you don't want to admit it, the fact that Zero has been bitten frightens you. You know what he will eventually become and so do the other hunters. Who would take him in?"

Yagari desperately tried to think of another option, _any _option that didn't involve Zero going with Cross. The retired hunter was right, though. It was too dangerous to leave Zero with a non-hunter family, and the hunters wouldn't take in an ex-human.

"Zero is going to know that the girl is a pureblood, and he might attack her. What if she fights back?"

"You don't have to worry about Yuuki - she is a sympathetic girl and will not cause Zero any harm. She will be leaving soon anyway." answered Cross. Yagari gave him a disbelieving look but said nothing on the matter.

"Fine, but I'm blaming you if anything goes wrong." Cross nodded, and started walking to the house. As soon as Cross went in, Yagari threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with his boot.

"She won't cause Zero any harm, huh?"

* * *

Yuuki looked up from the manga she was reading as she heard the sound of boots crunching in snow outside. She jumped out of her chair and hurried to the window, expecting to see Cross coming home by himself, but she was shocked when she saw two figures walking outside. She had to wait before the two figures came into clear view. She saw Cross, who was covered in a thick trench coat and scarf. Yuuki was confused about the person next to Cross. It was a boy, about the same height as her, wrapped in a thick green blanket. His head was hung low and his eyes were covered by silver hair. Overall, it looked like there was something terribly wrong with him.

The boy could need help and Yuuki was about to rush to the front door to greet Cross. However, by the time she had got to the front door she decided against it. She didn't know if the boy knew she was here, and it would be best if she just stayed in her room. If Cross needed her for something he would come get her. Yuuki rushed up the stairs and went into her room. She left the door open so she could hear what was going on. She heard the sound of the door opening and closing, and then Cross's voice.

"_This is my house, Kiryu-kun. I'm sorry that we didn't have any time to pick your belongings, but I will make sure they are brought here tomorrow. For now, just make yourself at home. Do want to get cleaned up?"_

Yuuki didn't hear any answer from the boy. Cross never had guests come over to visit, and no one ever spent the night. She heard the opening and closing of more doors. Yuuki was about to go back to her manga when the smell of blood drifted into the room. Yuuki automatically became rigid and she clenched her teeth. She became torn between wanting to follow the scent of the blood and staying in her room. Her instincts got the better of her and she found herself quietly drifting down the stairs. She followed the scent to the downstairs bathroom and she paused outside the door. She decided to wait outside the door and listen to make sure the two people inside were alright.

* * *

Cross was washing the dried blood off Zero's neck. The bite marks had faded already, but not before the doctors examining Zero had seen them. Most of the hunters had already known as soon as they saw the blood covering Zero's neck. Cross knew that no one else would take the young Kiryu, but that wasn't his only reason for taking Zero in. Cross still kept his pacifist ideas and hoped that if Zero were to become close to Yuuki, the boy would learn not to blame all purebloods for his family's death. Yuuki and Zero had both lost their parents to a pureblood vampire and they might possibly be able to connect on some level. Yuuki was a kind girl. However, for the moment, he would have to ask Yuuki to keep her distance for a while. He was thankful that Yuuki stayed in her room when he came in. After he was done cleaning Zero he would go talk to her.

Cross suddenly felt Zero stiffen. He looked at the boy's face and saw that Zero was staring at the door with a mixture of fright and anger. Cross's hunter instincts alerted him to the fact that there was a vampire outside the door and he didn't have to figure out who it was. This wasn't good.

"Are you alright, Kiryu-kun?" he asked, foolishly hoping that Zero was upset for some other reason. The boy's lips moved slowly and his whisper was so low that Cross only caught part of the sentence.

"…_that woman_…"

"What?"

"_It smells just like that woman!" _yelled Zero.

* * *

Yuuki heard Zero's furious words and against her better judgment she found herself opening the bathroom door.

She found herself locking gazes with a pair of hateful amethyst eyes.

Yuuki froze. The boy, Kiryu, was standing shirtless and she could see the remaining blood on his neck. Cross was horrified as he looked at Yuuki standing nervously in the doorway, and then at Zero. He reached out to put his hand on Zero's shoulder, but Zero jerked away from him. He shot Cross a suspicious glare before looking back at Yuuki. It wasn't who he had been expecting. The girl in front of him was staring at him with wide garnet eyes and she looked nothing like the murder of his family. She was still a pureblood, just like that woman, and he was furious.

"_Vampire…"_

Yuuki tried to open her mouth to say something; to ask the boy how he knew what she was and what he was doing here, but the boy's glare kept her frozen. She never felt so much anger and hate coming from one person. Her senses were screaming at her that this boy was dangerous and she should leave, but she still stood in the doorway. She almost let out a sigh of relief when Zero finally stopped looking at her and started scanning the bathroom.

Her relief was short lived as soon as she saw him grab the razor sharp scissors on the counter.

_Oh no! What's Zero going to do?! It's like an alternate version of the first time he met Kaname, with Yuuki replacing Kaname and a lot more angst. _

_All Kaname fans: Did anyone else have a mini heart attack when Zero cut off Kaname's hand in chapter 46? _


	8. Arc 2: All to Blame

_Hello everybody! You guys are amazing with your reviews, faving, and alerting!_

_Please do not judge Zero too harshly because of his behavior in this chapter. The poor boy just lost his parents to a pureblood and he found out he has to live with one. Who wouldn't be upset? Kaname also makes a short appearance in this chapter! _

_Special thanks to __**VampireMaddy, **__my beta, who used amazing editing to fix this chapter for me. _

**Disclaimer: I…I just don't own Vampire Knight! If I did I would have a separate manga series that was just about the Kurans. **

**Chapter Eight: **

**All to Blame **

Before Cross could stop him, Zero rushed towards Yuuki with the scissors raised. Yuuki stared at him in shock as Zero plunged the scissors towards her chest before she quickly reacted and grabbing his hand in a firm grasp. She pushed Zero against the doorway as the scissors fell from his hand.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. Zero fixed her with an angry stare while trying to wrestle free from her grasp. Cross cursed his luck; this scene would just make it harder to deal with Zero. Cross went to the two adolescents and pushed Yuuki away from Zero. He held Zero back as he addressed Yuuki.

"Yuuki, please go back to your room." Yuuki looked at Zero and then at Cross in disbelief. She pointed an accusing finger at Zero.

"But he just attacked me!"

"Yuuki, go back to your room. Now." Cross spoke in a stern voice that left no room for argument. Yuuki glared at the boy who had just attacked her for no reason before turning away and going back up the stairs. Why was Cross acting as if she did something wrong? That boy had tried to stab a pair of scissors through her heart. The flowers in the hallway vase wilted as Yuuki's mood got darker. Luckily, she still had enough self control to stop herself from slamming her door.

An hour went by before Cross was finished dealing with Zero. He quietly entered Yuuki's room to find the girl already sitting up, waiting for him. She didn't give time to sit down before springing her first question on him.

"Why is that boy here?" Cross sighed and sat on the bed next to Yuuki. He raked his hand through his hair before answering the question.

"His name is Kiryu Zero. He has been through a lot tonight so you will have to forgive him for his rash behavior. His family has just been killed by Shizuka Hio."

"The Madly Blooming Princess…" whispered Yuuki; she had heard of the infamous pureblood from Takuma. Apparently Shizuka had gone mad after her ex-human lover was put on the hunters' execution list and killed. No one had seen her since then. Yuuki suddenly remembered hearing the name Kiryu. The Kiryus came from a long line of skilled vampire hunters. Yuuki now realized the reason behind Zero's brash actions.

"I understand why he attacked me now. He hates me because I'm a pureblood, like Shizuka Hio." she said matter of factly. Cross put his arm around Yuuki reassuringly, as if trying to comfort her.

"Yuuki, you are nothing like her. Kiryu-kun… just doesn't realise that." said Cross. "I must ask something of you, Yuuki. For the time being, could you give Kiryu-kun his space? He just needs time to adjust."

"It must be terrible for him to know that I'm here." said Yuuki, memories of Rido's blue and red eyes and the night her parents died filling her mind. She looked at Cross. "Don't worry, I won't bother him." Cross smiled gratefully, before getting up and heading towards the door. Yuuki spoke up again and her next words made him freeze with his hand on the door handle.

"He was bitten." Yuuki remembered the blood covering Zero's neck and the weird sense she got from him. If Shizuka didn't kill him she must have done something worst to him. Yuuki felt a wave of pity for Zero. It must be horrible to known that you will change into the thing you hate the most.

"I could never hide anything from you, could I? You and Kaname-kun are too perceptive for your own good." stated Cross with a sigh.

"I doubt Shizuka-san was generous enough to give Zero-kun her blood. Without it he'll…" The implications were clear and Yuuki didn't need to finish the rest of the sentence.

"I know." Cross turned the knob and exited the room. Yuuki lay down on her back and stared at the ceiling. So much had happened that night. She would listen to Cross' advice, of course, and give Zero the space he needed. Yuuki was still upset that there was nothing she could do to help Zero. It made her feel useless.

_A Few Hours Later _

"_Her name is Kuran Yuuki…" _

"_She is different from that woman. Yuuki is a kind vampire…"_

"_Yuuki has never harmed a human…" _

Lies.

Zero refused to believe any of the rubbish that Cross, a man he hardly knew, had told him. What did he truly know about vampires? Cross didn't know what it was like to watch one of those monsters destroy everything you care about. He didn't know what it was like to have one sink their fangs into your neck. Zero had heard stories about Cross Kaien and they didn't make him feel any better about his current situation.

Zero sat up in bed and looked at the alarm clock. It was midnight. Cross should be asleep by now. And as for the vampire… he was told that her room was upstairs. He couldn't stay at this man's house, not with that _thing _here. He would have to find somewhere else to go. Maybe he could find his old master, Yagari, or else he could just live on his own.

Zero opened his room door and peeked outside. All the lights were out and the hallway was clear. Zero silently made his way to the front door and opened it. The whole yard was covered in snow but thankfully the wind was not blowing as hard as it had been earlier. Zero closed the door behind him and started making his way across the yard. The tall trees lining the walkway cast shadows across the path but Zero kept going. He was about to start running towards the front gate when the silence was broken by a bell-like voice.

"Where are you going?" Zero looked up in surprise. There was the vampire, Yuuki, sitting on one of the branches of a tree. Her long brown hair was blowing slightly in the wind and she was looking down at him with curious eyes. Once Zero got over his surprise he berated his hunter instincts for not alerting him of the girl's presence. He ignored her question and kept walking to the gate. Yuuki's brows furrowed as she noticed the direction Zero was heading. She jumped from the tree and landed next to Zero.

"It's dangerous at night. Uncle Cross would be upset if he found out you were out here alone," she told. Zero still refused to acknowledge her, or her words, and Yuuki felt herself get a little annoyed.

"Will you please stop?" asked Yuuki calmly while grabbing Zero's arm. Zero lost the little self control he had left. It wasn't enough that the purebloods killed the people he cared, took his brother away, and ruined any future he might have? Now one of them wanted to control his life. Zero pulled his arm back and pushed Yuuki away roughly.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" He turned to glare at her, but stopped when he saw Yuuki's expression. She was holding the hand he had pushed away and there was a heartbreaking expression upon her face. Zero felt a twinge of guilt.

"I'm sorry, Zero-kun. It was not my intention to upset you. I just wanted to make sure you didn't get hurt…" said Yuuki apologetically, her crimson eyes locked with his amethyst ones. Zero noticed her stare was strong yet… kind.

"I understand the type of pain you must be in, but you have no reason to leave. I'm leaving soon. If it will make you more comfortable here, I promise to leave you alone until then." said Yuuki. She waited for Zero to answer as he looked at the gate and then back at the house.

"Your promises do not mean anything." whispered Zero. He turned around and started heading back to the house.

_A week later_

Zero felt himself relax slightly when he found out the bloodsucker was in her room. He had been surprised when she actually kept her promise and did her best to stay out of his way. They had different sleeping patterns which meant he only saw her at night. Yuuki only left her room to get food or talk to Cross. Zero still refused to let his guard down. When he wasn't in his room, Zero would sit in the hallway where her room was located. Unlike that fool, Cross, he didn't trust that pureblood one bit. Yuuki wasn't oblivious to this and she started to get a little annoyed when she noticed that Zero was keeping a firm watch on her. She actually looked forward to the time when Zero went to sleep and she could leave the room freely. Honestly, if she really wanted to kill him and Cross - she would have done it by now.

At that particular moment, Zero felt himself dozing off slightly as he sat against the wall. Cross had given him a disapproving look when he passed by earlier, but Zero had ignored him. Zero eyes snapped open as he heard the noise of a door being creaked open. He looked in the direction of Yuuki's room and saw her standing outside the door. She was looking between Zero and the part of the hallway he was blocking as if debating whether it would be safe to go past him. Yuuki must have decided it was, because she started cautiously walking in his direction.

"Good evening, Zero-kun." she said politely as she walked past him. She didn't expect him to say anything in reply so she kept walking as his eyes followed her. She let out a sigh of relief when she arrived at the staircase and out of Zero's line of vision, finally letting the smile she had been holding back appear on her face as she rushed down the stairs. She ran to the front door and threw it open.

"Kaname-oniisama!" Zero had followed Yuuki to the staircase and was looking down from the top. He watched as Yuuki threw her arms around the teenager in the doorway. The teenager's wavy, dark brown hair reached his collar and fell into his eyes. The newcomer's unnatural beauty and crimson eyes were enough to tell Zero that he was a vampire. A frown formed on Zero's face as he watched Kaname return the hug Yuuki was giving him. Just how many purebloods was Cross keeping here?

"Hello, Yuuki." said Kaname warmly. Zero wasn't sure if he imagined it or not, but when Kaname said this he thought he saw the pureblood's eyes glance up at him. They were gone in an instant and Kaname was back to giving his attention to Yuuki.

"I missed you, oniisama. You haven't come to visit for weeks!" said Yuuki, frowning slightly.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki. There was some business I had to take care of and it kept me busy." explained Kaname. The answer seemed to be good enough for Yuuki because her cheerful smile returned.

"It's okay. Although, some things have changed while you were gone," Yuuki told Kaname. She assumed that he already knew what she was talking about. Cross wouldn't hide something important from Kaname.

"Ah, yes. I have heard that Cross has taken in Kiryu Zero. I am upset that Cross did not discuss this with me until after he brought that boy here. Your safety is important." Kaname had a neutral expression on his face and he did not sound angry, but Yuuki could tell that he was displeased.

"He may come from a vampire hunter family, but he's not a hunter yet. I have nothing to fear from him. He has just lost his family." said Yuuki, giving Kaname a look that was silently begging him not to be too hard on either Zero or Cross. If _this_ made him upset there was no way Yuuki was mentioning the way Zero had attacked when they first met. Kaname seemed to understand her silent message.

"It is unfortunate what happened to his family. Shizuka Hio was a very dangerous vampire." said Kaname.

Zero realised that the purebloods knew he was watching them and found it angered him that they were talking about him so openly. He started walking down the stairs furiously. Kaname and Yuuki turned to look at him when he reached the bottom.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Zero, glaring at Kaname. Instead of answering the question, Kaname just gave him a bored look. Yuuki, her eyes darting between them both, decided to speak up as she felt Zero's anger rising.

"Zero-kun, this is my brother, Kana–"

"I don't care. He's just another monster like you." said Zero. As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt himself pushed roughly against the staircase railing. Kaname had a solid grasp on his shoulders. The older boy leaned forward so that his face was just inches from Zero's.

"I couldn't care less what your opinion of me is, Kiryu. However, I will not stand by as you insult Yuuki."

"Onii-sama, it's alright. Please let go of him!" Kaname looked at Yuuki's pleading eyes before letting go of Zero. Zero gave Kaname one last glare before heading back upstairs. Yuuki made an attempt to follow him but Kaname's firm hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You are not going to apologize to someone who does not want to hear it. You should not waste your time."

"I know, but… he's hurting and my presence isn't helping at all. I-I just don't know what to do…" she explained helplessly, as embarrassing tears formed in her eyes. She tried to look away from Kaname, she didn't want him to see her cry, but she felt his hand turn her head towards him. Yuuki looked up at Kaname's warm eyes as he caressed her cheek.

"You should not let Kiryu make you feel guilty. As long as Yuuki stays the same warm person that will be enough." he told her. Yuuki calmed down slightly and blinked her tears away; Kaname always knew what to say to make her feel better. Yuuki gave him a hug to reassure that she was okay. Kaname brushed his fingers through her hair before pulling away.

"Yuuki, there is something important I must discuss with you. It's about you moving to the Ichijo estate."

_A Few Hours Later _

Yuuki waved to Kaname as he left the house. As he was walking away he looked over his shoulder at her. She faked a reassuring smile for him before closing the door. Once it was closed, the smile immediately left her face and she began heading up the stairs in a depressed state.

All that excitement about finally being by Kaname's side, spending time with Takuma, and having more freedom had all disappeared in just a few short hours. She could no longer go to the Ichijo estate because Kaname said it was not safe for her. The council wouldn't realise the plan was changing and that would give Kaname would have time to think of a better solution. Yuuki recalled Kaname's words from earlier.

"_Trust me, Yuuki. You have more freedom here then you would ever have at Ichijo manor." _

Yuuki sighed. It shouldn't be this complicated. It was that monster Rido's fault. If mother and father were still alive…

Yuuki froze as she entered the hallway. Zero was sitting by her bedroom door. His arms were wrapped around his legs and his head was resting on his arms. When Yuuki looked closer she noticed that he was asleep. A small smile crept onto her face when she noticed how peaceful Zero looked; his face was clear of the glares and frowns she had grown accustomed to. Yuuki lightly brushed Zero's hair from his eyes. She couldn't really find it in herself to be mad at Zero for his treatment of her. Yuuki also knew the bitter pain of losing the people you truly care about. She also knew how much hatred could be directed at the person who took them away from you.

Zero woke to the feeling of someone patting his hair. He panicked as the unwelcome smell of a pureblood invaded his senses. He knew he should push her away. He wanted to push her away, but the way she was patting his hair was helping him to relax and to forget the gruesome images from his nightmare. But he still refused to believe that a vampire could express any sort of human kindness. Zero's conflicting feelings were making his head hurt.

_She's the same as that woman, a pureblood vampire… but how can such warm and gentle hands belong to a monster? _

Zero opened his eyes halfway so he could see Yuuki's face. Her eyes were sincere and she gave him a kind smile.

"I'm sorry, Zero…"

___________________________________________________________________________

"Are you sure, my lord? If the other nobles find out about the assignment you have given us there would be much uproar. The Kurans have a large number of loyal followers." asked the servant as he kneeled in front of his master, the head of the Ichijo clan. They were currently in one of hidden chambers of the council building. Ichiou looked down at the five noble class vampires kneeling in front of him. They were the most loyal of his followers and one of the few that he could genuinely trust. He was giving them a task that no other vampire could find out about. Ichiou sat in a large oak chair in front of the nobles before he addressed them.

"My only concern is the well being of the most precious purebloods in our society. The council has found the location of Kuran Yuuki and alerted her brother of the matter. For the safety of his sister, Kaname-sama has agreed to put her under my guardianship. However, I have a reason to believe that he was lying and Kaname-sama is planning on moving Yuuki-sama to another location before she is supposed to arrive here." The nobles nodded at this, but they still looked uncertain. One of them eventually voiced their concern.

"But… to kidnap a pureblood? It will not be a simple task." The young aristocrat tried not to flinch as Ichiou's piercing green eyes landed on him. Ichiou sighed as he once again explained the situation.

"These past seven years Yuuki-sama has been under the care of Cross Kaien, a retired _vampire hunter_. I was appalled to find out our pureblood princess was living in such conditions. It was the last place I would have thought to look and a clever move on Kaname-sama's part. My dear grandson, Takuma, accidently let it slip that he has been in contact with Yuuki-sama and it was not hard to track one of his messages to her. My sources have told me that Cross Kaien has recently taken in the survivor of a vampire attack, a young Kiryu Zero. You will kill Cross and use Kiryu as bait."

"And you believe that Yuuki-sama will try to save the boy? A human she hardly knows?"

"She follows in her parents' foolish pacifist ways. I have no doubt that she will try to rescue him." Ichiou stated. He glanced down at them. "You all possess special powers, but you will be facing a pureblood. I can't promise that you will all come back alive or unscathed; even though you will have the vampire hunter weapons I have given you. However, I can promise that you will be greatly rewarded if you are successful. Most importantly, under no circumstances are you to reveal who sent you. Is that understood?"

"We shall not fail you, my lord." the nobles said in unison. Ichiou gestured for them to leave and they all bowed before making their exit. However, one of the vampires lingered in the doorway as he looked back at Ichiou.

"Ichijo-sama, what will become of the Kuran princess once she is brought to you?" Silence followed the question. The noble watched as a dark smile formed on Ichiou's face. When the head of the Ichijo clan answered the question it was in an amused tone.

"She will be well taken care of."

_And her blood will be put to good use. _

_Ichiou, you sneaky vampire! _

_I wanted to end Zero and Yuuki's relationship on a somewhat good note for this chapter. Still, their relationship won't be all rainbows and sunshine. I think Zero would be a little ooc if he suddenly forgot all his vampire problems and became friends with Yuuki right away. _

_**On Yuuki moving to the Ichijo estate**__: The council found out about Yuuki's whereabouts and talked to Kaname on the matter. Legally, Yuuki was never officially put under Cross' guardianship. Since the council knew where Yuuki was, Kaname agreed to let Yuuki come into vampire society. He wanted to put her under a more trusting family, like the Aidous, but Ichiou pulled some strings and got the lawyer people to put Yuuki under his care. Kaname agreed, but he is still trying to find a way around it. He's afraid that after he leaves Ichiou's guardianship, Ichiou will try to keep Yuuki. _

_Voting time! I don't really know how I'm going to progress the story from here so I'm asking my wonderful reviewers. _

_-Kaname finds out about Ichiou's "little plan" and decide to put her under the guardianship of a more trusting noble family aka Aidou family! (See more of the Night Class, and Yuuki would visit Zero and Cross)_

_-Ichiou proceeds with his plan! (more Y/Z character development and you get to see more pureblood powers in action) I'm not saying if his plan works or not! _

_Please tell me which option you all would prefer! And please review! _

_An update may come soon! Maybe sometime this week? _

_Merry –late- Christmas! _


	9. Arc 2: Scarred Heart in Hand

_I actually updated when I said I would. Miracles do happen. Thank you all for your reviews. _

_Results for my little voting thing: Option 1 won by a landslide. That was the one with Aidou, right? I can't really remember. _

_Kaname will be making more appearances in later chapters. I just wanted Yuuki and Zero to bond for a while. _

_Thank you, __**VampireMaddy**__, for editing this chapter for me and being an overall amazing beta. I hope you have an awesome New Years Eve and New Years. _

**Disclaimer: That last episode of VK Guilty was amazing wasn't it? They had adorable little Kaname/Yuuki flashbacks and Kaname being all emotional. And they had an awesome battle between Kaname, Rido, and Zero and…Wait, this was supposed to be a disclaimer, wasn't it? I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters (unfortunately). I also don't own any songs used at the beginning of the chapters. **

Chapter 9:

Scarred Heart in Hand

_**I don't mind where you come from **_

_**As long as you come to me **_

_**But I don't like illusions I can't see them clearly **_

_**I don't care, no I wouldn't dare **_

_**To fix the twist in you **_

_**You've shown me eventually what you'll do **_

_**I don't mind **_

_**I don't care **_

_**As long as you're here **_

_**Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again **_

_**You'll just come back running **_

_**Holding your scarred heart in hand **_

_**It's all the same **_

_**And I'll take you for who you are **_

_**If you take me for everything **_

_**And do it all over again **_

_**It's all the same**_

_**-Sick Puppies**_

_The smell of blood drifted throughout the house. So strong that it drew her in instantly…_

"Zero? What are you doing?" Yuuki asked fearfully. Zero and Yuuki were home alone because the Chairman had some business to been taken care of. Yuuki had followed the scent of blood to the living room, and was more than shocked at what she saw as she stood in the doorway of the room. She watched as Zero dug his fingers into his neck and pulled them down so roughly that the blood appeared. Yuuki stared, transfixed, as the red substance that trickled slowly down his neck. A smirk formed upon Zero's face as he noticed where Yuuki's attention was.

"You vampires, so intoxicated by the scent of blood." he muttered. Yuuki quickly snapped out of her daze and entered the living room. She stopped in front of the fireplace, a safe distance away from Zero but the scent of blood was already beginning to make her seem agitated.

"Zero, th-that must hurt. Please, stop!" she begged. She couldn't just stand there as he hurt himself, but she was afraid of what he would do if she got any closer. Not much had changed between Zero and Yuuki. He still avoided her and kept a steady watch upon all her actions with suspicious eyes. Her friendly personality and steadfast kindness seemed to have no affect upon him.

"I can still feel that woman, the smell - so disgusting… and I can't forget, not with you here." said Zero quietly. He ignored both the pain and Yuuki, and continued to drag his fingers down his neck. Yuuki found that she couldn't stand it anymore. She ran over to Zero and tried to pull his hand away, but she found herself being forcefully pushed away.

"Don't touch me." His words were not loud, but they were said in a cold tone.

"I know that women did horrible things to you, but I want to help. Please, stop it!" Yuuki reached for his hand again but this time Zero quickly pulled away.

"You purebloods are all the same." replied Zero. He refused to fall for the vampire's fake concern. He wasn't his brother; he wouldn't give up all his morals as a hunter because… because…

Zero broke off his thoughts as suddenly it felt like a heavy fog was clouding his mind. He looked at Yuuki's eyes, which were glowing a faint red and registered she was using her power on him. He tried to open his mouth to protest but he quickly lost consciousness and collapsed forward to the floor.

"Zero, you make me act so cruel." murmured Yuuki. He wouldn't be too happy with her when he woke up, but she had to stop him before he seriously hurt himself. Zero's head was resting on her shoulder and she gently brushed his hair away. He always had a way of making her feel so horrible about herself, even when she tried to help him. Still, she felt protective of him. She was afraid of what would happen if he was left to deal with his problems alone. She, at least, had Kaname for comfort after the death of her parents; Zero had no one.

Yuuki suddenly noticed how close Zero's neck was. The fresh blood was still dripping from his wounds and on to his shirt. When was the last time she had blood? Yuuki felt her fangs lengthening as she leaned towards the source of blood. So close, and Zero wouldn't know if she were to… No!

Yuuki jerked away from Zero in panic and pushed him back against the wall. How could she even think about doing that to Zero? He had already gone through so much and she was about to take advantage of him. Yuuki felt disgusted with herself. She was not like Shizuka. Zero already hated her enough and she wouldn't give him any more reasons to dislike her.

_Maybe Zero is right about me…_

Yuuki sighed. She should work on Zero's injuries while he was still unconscious and unable to resist. She lifted him up easily and headed back towards his room.

______________________________________________________________________________

Zero tossed and turned in his bed. His nightmares, which never seemed to go away, plagued his mind. The blood-covered snow, his parents' dead bodies, and the agonizing feeling of Shizuka's fangs dominated his dreams almost every night. Worst of all, though, was the image of Ichiru's _smiling _face as he watched his older twin and parents suffer. The pain of Ichiru's betrayal would probably never go away.

Zero's eyes snapped open. His breathing was ragged as he quickly took in his surroundings. He was in his bedroom instead of his previous spot in the living room. He tried to remember how he got there and what had happened. He remembered the painful way he scratched his neck and then there was _Kuran_ begging him to stop hurting himself. Then the vampire did something to cause him to lose consciousness. Zero's hand flew to the side of the neck he had injured and he was alarmed to find it smooth and absent of any wounds. What had she done to him? Zero looked at the door when he heard a hesitant knock. A clear voice addressed him through the door.

"Zero, I brought you dinner. Can I come in?" When she received no answer, Yuuki cautiously opened the door. Zero was sitting up in bed and he stared at her with a mixture of shock and anger. Yuuki walked into the room and closed the door. She went to Zero's bed and placed the tray of food she was carrying on his night stand. She gave the boy a gentle smile.

"It's soup, the Chairman's secret recipe. I hope you enjoy it." Zero remained silent and Yuuki started to feel uncomfortable. She had expected him to yell at her and the silence was a little unnerving. She twisted her hands fretfully as Zero continued to stare at her. "Um, I guess I'll leave now." Yuuki turned to leave, but she picked up some faint words from Zero.

"What did you do?" Yuuki turned back. Zero turned his gaze away from her but his hand was resting on his neck.

"It was the only way I could stop you from hurting yourself. After you lost consciousness I brought you to your room and healed your wounds." answered Yuuki honestly. Zero's eyes widened and he looked at Yuuki in fury. Master Yagari had told him that the saliva of purebloods could heal wounds. That meant that she…

"I didn't ask for your help!" replied Zero angrily. Yuuki, expecting Zero's anger, seemed unfazed by his enraged mood and spoke in a calm voice.

"I wanted to help." Zero jumped up from bed and stalked over to Yuuki. He tried to control his anger, but he just couldn't anymore. Why did this vampire have to act so differently? Why couldn't she just be a monster like the others?

"Why do you care?!" he yelled. Yuuki flinched at his words, but stood her ground. She looked back at Zero, the same anger in her eyes although, to her embarrassment, she could feel silent tears streaming down her face. Zero was caught off guard by her anger and tears. He took a step back as her high-pitched voice yelled back at him.

"Because I understand! I know what it's like to have the people you care about taken away by a monster. Y-you s-shouldn't have to suffer alone! I've tried everything to make you feel more comfortable here." Yuuki tried to get control over her aura again. Her words would become useless if she ended up accidently hurting Zero. She wiped the tears from her face and looked at Zero. A brief look of shock flickered across his face, but he quickly schooled his features back into a cold mask.

"Well, it was a waste of your time."

"Yes, I guess it was…" said Yuuki. She turned away from Zero and left the room, Zero glaring after her. The door slamming loudly and the glare instantly left his face. The girl was in the wrong for acting like she understood what he was going through. He had nothing to feel sorry for.

_Then why do I feel so guilty? _thought Zero, as the image of Yuuki's tear stained face entered his mind.

**Vampire Elder Council Chambers **

"Thank you, Lord Aidou. Your help in the matter is greatly appreciated." Lord Aidou nodded, respectfully, at his business partner's gratitude. They were currently walking through the chamber hallways, finishing up some last minute negotiations. Usually Aidou avoided the council building because of his dislike of Ichijo Asato. However, his business associate was leaving the country tonight and Lord Aidou had to meet him at the council building before he left.

"It was no problem at all. Please have a safe trip and send my regards to your family." The two men sent their farewells before departing. Lord Aidou walked through the hallways, which were nearly empty because of the council meeting currently in progress. Lord Aidou was thinking about some important information his business partner gave him, but something caused him to stop. He looked down the hallway he was about to pass up. Next to the main council chamber doors, Kuran Kaname was sitting on one of the wooden benches. His dark hair was blocking his face from view, but Lord Aidou could see that he seemed to be concentrating on a stack of papers on his lap. Lord Aidou stood there, considering if he should keep walking or not, when Kaname's low voice broke the silence.

"Is there something you wish to discuss with me?" There was no one else in the hallway so it was obvious who he was addressing. Kaname looked over at Lord Aidou, his face composed and his gaze questioning. Lord Aidou straightened before cautiously approaching Kaname. He remembered meeting Kaname when he was a young boy. He was an innocent, polite little boy, but those closest to the Kurans had noticed the change in him after the death of his parents. Of course, Lord Aidou wasn't that surprised, since Kaname had had to move in with Ichiou. Those years under his guardianship had left their mark.

"Good evening, Kaname-sama. You are not attending the council meeting?"

"No. The council is having a private discussion at the moment. I just came here to go over something very important with them." That was all the information Kaname gave on the subject. He placed the papers he was reading out of Aidou's view, but not before the other vampire saw what was written on them.

"Ah, yes. I have heard that Ichiou is trying to put your sister under his guardianship. How is that faring?"

"Excuse me, Lord Aidou, but that is between Ichiou and myself." replied Kaname politely, although his tone indicated only too clearly that he didn't wish to discuss the matter at all. When other nobles asked Kaname about Yuuki he always gave short answers or steered the conversation in another direction. Lord Aidou bowed slightly. He should have known better than to get involved in the affairs of a pureblood.

"Forgive me, Kaname-sama, I did not wish to be rude."

"There is no need to apologize, Lord Aidou. Your question did not offend me. It was very… generous of Ichiou to offer Yuuki a suitable home." Kaname didn't sound very sincere as he said this. Lord Aidou glanced at the council doors and then sat next to Kaname on the bench. The younger vampire tensed and glanced warily at Lord Aidou.

"Kaname-sama, if you do not wish to have Yuuki-sama under the guardianship of Ichiou I can offer you another option. I have many connections in the legal system, especially those concerning adoption…"

**Ichijo Estate – Ichiou's Study **

"I take it that there is nothing I can do to change your mind, Kaname-sama," said Ichiou gravely. He folded his arms across his chest as he looked at the pureblood sitting across from him. Kaname was as cool, calm and collected as ever as he stared back at Ichiou. To say that the oldest Ichijo was upset about the change of events would be an understatement. He was furious. Firstly, Ichiou's plans of capturing Yuuki and using her blood to revive Rido faster had failed. When his servants arrived at Cross' house, Kaname had been waiting there, ruining any chance of the plan succeeding. Then he received the news that the Aidous, one of clans he hated the most for their blatant dislike of the council, had won guardianship of Yuuki. Ichiou had tried to fight it, but with Kaname's support and Lord Aidou's contacts, it had not been easy to change things and he had lost the appeal.

"I do not wish to inconvenience you. You give me so much freedom and I am afraid Yuuki would have become spoiled by living here." replied Kaname. He said this with a small smile on his face, but there was a trace of sarcasm in his voice. Ichiou gave him a cold stare.

"Yet, you have no problem inconveniencing the Adious, who already have four children to care for. The Aidou family must always been seen as slightly… _vulgar_, as they are always flaunting their money. If I didn't know any better, Kaname-sama, it seems as if you do not wish Yuuki-sama to be here because of personal feelings towards myself."

_Of course that is the reason, _thought Kaname, but he did not say those words aloud. He couldn't afford offending Ichiou any further. Instead, he gave Ichiou another polite smile.

"It's nothing personal, Ichiou. I am only thinking of Yuuki's best interests."

"I see. As the head of the Kuran clan you must know what is best for your family. I will not interfere with anything concerning Yuuki-sama's introduction into vampire society."

"Thank you. Your cooperation in this matter is appreciated." Kaname rose gracefully from the chair and moved towards the door. Ichiou glared at the younger vampire's back. He refused to let the Kuran have the last word. His next words were spoken calmly, but there was a hidden warning in them.

"However, as _your_ guardian, I also have an obligation to think of your best interests. I fear that the Aidou family will be a very negative influence upon you. It would perhaps be best if you did not visit their estate too often."

"I will keep that in mind." Kaname replied. His back was to Ichiou, so the older vampire did not see the smirk on his face.

_As if you could keep me away from my Yuuki. _

**Cross Kaien's House **

"Please don't leave, Yuuki! It will be boring here with just Kiryu-kun!" bawled Cross, hugging Yuuki so tightly that she was having trouble breathing. His tears were staining her shirt and she was trying desperately to get loose from his grasp. Once she got loose he tried to hug her again but Yuuki quickly stepped out the way, causing Cross to land painfully on the floor.

"I have to go. You knew that I was only going to stay here temporarily. Also, you and Zero are in constant danger with me here. It would be best if I went to the Aidou residence." explained Yuuki. Kaname was standing by the front door with Yuuki's luggage and she sent him a helpless look. Kaname sighed and walked over to Cross.

"Yuuki is leaving. Deal with it." was Kaname's blunt reply. Yuuki gave him a disapproving look but didn't say anything. Kaname's words seemed to work, because Cross stepped away from Yuuki with a resigned look on his face.

"Very well, I guess there is nothing I can do. You'll visit, right?" asked Cross. He looked hopefully at Yuuki, who gave him a smile and nod. She allowed Cross to give her one more hug before she pulled away.

"Are you ready, Yuuki?" asked Kaname.

"Almost. I just want to say goodbye to Zero, too." answered Yuuki. She turned away before she could see the frown on Kaname's face and headed towards Zero's room. She thought that Zero would at least be a little happy she was leaving. Yuuki had once again tried to be kind to Zero, but he had taken to avoiding her. When she told him she was leaving, Zero just shrugged and said nothing else on the matter. Unfortunately, she had missed the look of disappointment on Zero's face when she turned away from him.

Zero had been planning on apologizing to Yuuki for his earlier behavior. Her words and tears kept haunting him and he was close to admitting that _maybe _she was different from others vampires. However, when Yuuki came into the room with a smile on her face and told him the news, the apology died in his throat. All of Zero's reasoning for avoiding Yuuki came back in full force when he remembered that she was a vampire.

Yuuki knocked on Zero's door and waited a minute before opening it. Zero was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. Yuuki walked into the room and sat on the foot of the bed. Zero's eyes drifted to Yuuki.

"I thought you were leaving." he whispered. He tried his best to make his voice sound disinterested.

"I am. I just wanted to say goodbye to you." replied Yuuki. She looked at Zero, who still avoided his gaze. She hoped he would say something, even if it was rude. He remained silent, so Yuuki gave up. She got up from the bed with a sigh and went towards the door.

"Well, goodbye."

"Wait, Yuuki!" Yuuki turned around and looked at Zero, shocked. This was the first he had ever addressed her by her name. He was still avoiding her gaze, but there was no anger in his stance. Yuuki walked back over to Zero and stood in front of him, patiently.

"Yes, Zero?"

"I…" Zero was temporarily lost for words. Why was he talking to her? She was going to go live with a bunch of other bloodsuckers. He should be relieved she was leaving.

_It's because you refuse to accept that she will not be here anymore… with you, _thought a voice in the back of his head. Yuuki looked at Zero, confused, as he frantically searched for words to say. Finally, Zero gave her a weak glare.

"Kaname is probably waiting. You should go." He watched as Yuuki's previously happy expression disappeared. She nodded and turned to leave once again. She was almost out the doorway before she stopped. She turned to see Zero looking at her with an almost regretful face. She looked down at her locket, hanging on her neck. She had a feeling that maybe Zero didn't hate her as much as she thought he did. She pulled the locket from around her neck and walked back to Zero.

"Here." she said, holding out the necklace to him. Zero gave her a confused look.

"What?" he asked. Yuuki rolled her eyes and grabbed Zero's hand. He quickly pulled it away, but not before Yuuki had put the locket in his hand.

"I hear that the Aidou's house is very big, and there will be a lot going on. I want you to watch my locket for me until I come and visit again. I trust you." she replied. He obviously didn't know how hard this was for her. She didn't trust a lot of people, and she had never parted with her mother's locket before.

"Fine." said Zero. Yuuki smiled before finally leaving the room. Once she was gone Zero examined the locket. He opened it and looked at the picture inside. The family on the picture was beautiful and they looked very happy, even Kaname. He stared at the two adults in the picture, who he assumed were Yuuki's parents. He quickly closed the locket and tossed it on his bed. He would give it to Cross later. He couldn't afford feeling sorry for those vampires. They were all the same.

Even Yuuki.

**Aidou Mansion **

"Why did father call this meeting? I was busy looking for a dress to wear to next week's soirée." complained Aidou Natsumi, flipping her blonde hair out of her face. She was the eldest of the Aidou children and had reluctantly come to the drawing room when her father called for a family meeting. She really missed her mother, who had gone to an exclusive resort for the weekend. It was easier to get away with things when she was around. Natsumi looked over at her younger siblings. Her sisters, Sachiko and Tsukiko, were busy gossiping and flipping through fashion magazines. Natsumi's eyes drifted to her younger brother, Hanabusa. He was lounging on one of the drawing room sofas and ignored his sisters completely.

The door of the drawing room opened and the head of the Aidou clan entered. The girls immediately went silent and straightened in their seats as their father came towards them. Hanabusa, however, stayed in his laid back position on the sofa.

"Father, what did you call us for? I was sleeping." he whined. Lord Adiou looked apologetically at his son, but Natsumi sent him an annoyed glare.

"Hanabusa! You should show father more respect." she scolded. Hanabusa just rolled his eyes at his sister. Natsumi was always looking for ways to make him look bad in front of their father. She was jealous that Hanabusa was the genius child of the family and certainly, in his opinion, the best looking. It wasn't like their father would actually punish him anyway (Hanabusa is extremely spoiled.) Natsumi looked like she was about to say something else, but she was cut off by Lord Aidou.

"Enough. I have some very important news that involves the whole family." said Lord Aidou. He waited until he had everyone's attention before continuing.

"Kuran Yuuki has been put under my guardianship and will be moving here next week." Everyone stared at him as the news sunk in. Hanabusa was the first one to respond to the news, and everyone was surprised by his reaction. He jumped up from his seat on the sofa and looked at his father in alarm.

"W-What! _Kuran _Yuuki!?"

"What other Kuran Yuuki would he be talking about?" asked Tsukiko, sarcastically. Hanabusa ignored his laughing sisters and looked back at his father.

"Will she be living here?"

_Please say yes! Please say yes! Please say yes! _

"Yes. I expect all of you to treat Yuuki-sama with the respect a person of her status deserves. The Kurans are a highly respected pureblood clan and this connection with them will benefit all of us. You will be on your best behavior and do _nothing _that will offend her, understood?" Lord Aidou told his children, sternly.

"Yes, father." said the girls, obediently.

"Good. We will have further discussion about this later." Lord Aidou nodded and then exited the room. Once he was gone, the girls all started talking excitedly.

"Can you believe it? A purebloodwill be coming to live _here_!"

"We'll probably see a lot of Kaname-sama, too!"

"Think of how jealous the other nobles will be."

Hanabusa was still in too much shock to respond to his sisters' enthusiasm. Kuran Yuuki would be coming to live _here_, with him. A wistful look formed on his face as he remembered the lovely smile she had given him, when they met for the first time years ago. Has she become even more beautiful, even more kind, and–

"I've heard that purebloods, especially the Kurans, are extraordinarily beautiful. And Yuuki-sama is around your age…" a mocking voice said, interrupting his thoughts. Hanabusa looked up from his place on the sofa to see Natsumi's face peering down at him. He felt his anger rising. How dare his spiteful sister interrupt his daydream?

"Shut up!"

"Are you planning on making her fall in love with you, or giving her your bloo– Hey, Hanabusa! Let me go!" Natsumi tried to free her feet from the icy encasement Hanabusa had trapped them in. Hanabusa ignored his sister and left the room.

He had to make sure everything was perfect for when Yuuki arrived.

_So I gave Aidou three sisters instead of just one. And one of them is kind of not nice…at all. Zero will be disappearing for the next few chapters. I hope I did his character well, and Yuuki's character. Please review and tell me what you think. _


	10. Arc 2: Blood Beginning

_Thank you everyone who reviewed/faved/alerted since the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one. And Guess what? I have a Kaname mascot on my computer. Its…so…__**CUTE!**_

_Check out my new crack fic __To Kill A Pureblood: Zero Style__. It's filled with OOC goodness. _

_Special Thanks to __**VampireMaddy **__for beta-ing this chapter for me and making sure everything was just right. _

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, but I do own a pretty Vampire Knight necklace. **

**Chapter 10: **

**Blood Beginning **

"A Night Class for vampires?" asked Yuuki. She looked at Kaname, who was sitting in the car seat across from her. The two vampires were sitting in a car that had been sent by Aidou to Cross' house to collect them both. A partitioned wall in the car blocked off the front seat and gave the two purebloods privacy from the driver.

"Yes, that is why I have not visited you for a while. I had to wait to receive approval from the council on the matter. Cross wants to open a class for vampires at his academy. He hopes that it will help promote pacifism between humans and vampires." answered Kaname, not mentioning that it would also offer Yuuki the protection he wished to give her. Yuuki looked out the window as she took in everything Kaname finished telling her.

"More nobles would come if two purebloods were attending the Academy." stated Yuuki. Her gaze left the dark window and returned to Kaname. He nodded.

"Yes, but that is not my only motive behind wanting us to go to Cross Academy."

"What are your other reasons?"

"Our parents were strong believers in the idea of pacifism and we both share their opinions. Also, we owe Cross a lot for everything he has done for us throughout the years. And…" Kaname didn't finish his sentence. Yuuki looked at him curiously. He gestured to the seat next to him, and Yuuki went to it. Kaname wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. His other hand gently brushed through Yuuki's hair.

"And if we went to the Academy, you and I would see each other every day. You would like that, wouldn't you, Yuuki?" Yuuki looked up at Kaname. His crimson eyes, which were the same shade as hers, looked at her lovingly. It would be nice, _wonderful, _to be able to see Kaname every day. She barely got to see him and she missed him; her… fiancée. She remembered the night Kaname promised they would be together like mother and father. She knew him better than anyone else and was the only one able to make the loneliness in his eyes disappear.

"Yes, I would like that." said Yuuki with a sincere smile on her face. Kaname gave her small smile, too. Yuuki reached up and caressed the side of his face and Kaname leaned in to her touch; reveling in the warmth of her hand. Yuuki rose from her seat and leaned closer to Kaname, placing a kiss on the side of his neck and then pressing her face into the crook of his neck. Kaname instinctively tensed, expecting to feel Yuuki's fangs and was surprised when she pulled away, pulling the hair away from her shoulder, exposing her slim neck.

"You can drink my blood, too." she whispered. She saw Kaname's eyes take on a red hue as his grip tightened around her waist. He tried to keep his face composed as he addressed her.

"Are you sure?" He didn't want her to think she was obligated to do this. He may manipulate those around him, but Kaname would never manipulate Yuuki.

"Yes." answered Yuuki. She wanted to do this but that didn't stop her from being a little uneasy; she had never been bitten before and didn't really know what to expect. She tensed as she felt Kaname's breath on her neck, followed by his warm tongue. She let out a small gasp when his fangs finally pierced her skin. It was a dull pain that quickly faded away. Kaname drank slowly as he savored every drop of Yuuki's sweet blood and Yuuki's grip on his dark locks tightened.

It was strange having someone else take your blood. Yuuki had always worried that it would hurt, but it felt… good. The sound of Kaname drinking her blood and his fangs piercing her skin was all she could think about. Yuuki wondered if, at that very moment, Kaname could see her thoughts and feelings.

"Onii-sama…"

-------------------------------------------------------------

Aidou Hanabusa stared at the stunning reflection in the mirror before him. He personally thought he looked _very_ attractive. His slightly wavy hair was combed back neatly, the light brought out the blonde highlights and his smooth, handsome face was clear of any blemishes. He fidgeted with his clothes and made sure that nothing was out of place; so preoccupied that he didn't even notice that he was no longer alone.

"What are you so nervous about?" asked a voice from the doorway. Hanabusa jumped and turned around quickly. Hanabusa's cousin, Kain Akatsuki, was leaning against the doorframe. The taller vampire was looking at him curiously; Hanabusa wasn't normally so jumpy.

"Oh, Akatsuki, it's just you. What are you doing here?" asked Hanabusa quickly, trying to change the subject. Kain noticed exactly what he was doing but decided to play along.

"My parents left town this weekend and dumped me here. They want me to represent the Kain family and introduce myself to Kuran Yuuki," answered Kain. He glanced at Hanabusa before continuing, "There have been rumors about her." Kain examined Hanabusa's reaction curiously and the blonde vampire looked at Kain in alarm.

"What type of rumors?"

"Not rumors really, more like… assumptions. Yuuki-sama was not raised in vampire society like other purebloods. They are not sure she will know how to behave in the manner expected of her. So everyone is expecting…"

"The worst." finished Hanabusa, clenching his fists in anger. Those stupid nobles knew nothing about Yuuki. Hanabusa turned to Akatsuki.

"Do you agree with them?" When his cousin remained silent, Hanabusa turned away from him. "They don't know what Yuuki-sama is like. She is a very kind and graceful and–"

"How would _you_ know, Hanabusa?" Kain asked accusingly, watching as Hanabusa froze mid-sentence.

"I-I…_may _have met her, once." replied Hanabusa nervously.

"What's she like?" asked Kain, staring at Hanabusa. He was surprised when he saw a dreamy, longing look appeared on his cousin's face and started to wonder how well Hanabusa actually knew Yuuki.

"She is–"

"Hanabusa! Kain! Kaname-sama and Yuuki-sama's car has arrived." said Hanabusa's mother, coming to the doorway. Hanabusa snapped out of his daze.

"Yes, mother."

-------------------------------------------

"Relax, Yuuki. Everything will be fine." said Kaname, reassuringly. The car was pulling into the Aidou mansion's driveway and Yuuki was staring at the house apprehensively.

"I'm just a little nervous. I don't want to do anything that will embarrass our family." she said, desperately trying to remember everything Kaname had taught her. She went over all the lessons of etiquette she learned. Kaname had told her exactly what to expect from the aristocrats. There was no reason to be nervous.

"You could never embarrass our family." replied Kaname soothingly. "You are a sophisticated lady. You just have to have more confidence and make sure no one is allowed to intimidate you." The car slowly came to a stop. Yuuki let out the breath she had been holding and nodded her head.

"Alright. I'm ready to go."

"Wait." said Kaname. Yuuki froze she felt him touch her neck; the bite marks were gone, but the area was still sensitive. Kaname leaned forward and licked away a spot of blood she had missed causing Yuuki to blush furiously and she quickly ducked through the door the driver just opened.

"I will bring your luggage to your room, Yuuki-sama." said the driver. Yuuki nodded to him and followed Kaname to the front door, which was opened by another servant. Yuuki stared in amazement. The front room was huge and beautifully decorated. A maid walked up to Kaname and Yuuki and bowed.

"Yuuki-sama, Kaname-sama. Lord Aidou and his family are waiting in one of the parlors for you." she led them through numerous hallways until they arrived at the parlor door. The maid opened the door and the two purebloods entered the room. Everyone in the room stood up from their seats. Yuuki quickly looked over the vampires before her. When her eyes landed on Hanabusa, a faint look of recognition appeared in them before she turned her gaze to Lord Aidou but Hanabusa continued staring at Yuuki. Kaname noticed where Hanabusa's gaze was and he put his hand protectively on Yuuki's shoulder.

"It is a pleasure to see you again, Kaname-sama. I hope your journey here was agreeable." said Lord Aidou as he walked forward.

"Yes, thank you." replied Kaname. Lord Aidou nodded and then turned his gaze to Yuuki. He bowed graciously before her.

"Yuuki-sama, it is an honor to finally meet you."

"It was very generous of you to allow me to stay here." replied Yuuki politely.

"Excuse me everyone, but I must be leaving." said Kaname suddenly. He turned to Yuuki and gave her a small smile. "I will come to see you as soon as I can."

"Okay, Kaname-oniisama. Goodbye." Yuuki tried to keep the look of disappoint of her face. Aware of their present company, Yuuki resisted the urge to throw her arms around Kaname in farewell. As soon as Kaname left, all the eyes in the room were on Yuuki. The attention was unnerving, and Yuuki was thankful when Lord Aidou gestured her to one of the empty sofas.

"Our butler was about to serve us tea. Please have a seat, Yuuki-sama, and I will introduce you to my family." Yuuki made her way to the sofa, aware that everyone was watching her every movement. Once she sat, Lord Aidou introduced her to his three daughters and wife. They were all very respectful, except for Natsumi. Yuuki could pick up the feelings of jealousy and contempt radiating from her presence.

"And this is my son, Aidou Hanabusa and his cousin, Kain Akatsuki." said Lord Aidou. Yuuki's gaze turned to them. Kain greeted her courteously, but Hanabusa froze up. He watched all her movements, which were poised and graceful. Hanabusa thought that everything about her was lovely. It wasn't until Kain discreetly elbowed him in the side that he snapped out of his daze and stuttered a quick apology and greeting. Yuuki tried to hide the humor in her eyes as Hanabusa flushed in embarrassment.

Eventually the butler arrived with the tea and served everyone. The conversation that followed wasn't as awkward as Yuuki has initially suspected it would be. The only thing that was uncomfortable was how Hanabusa kept staring at her. Lord Aidou and his wife informed her of how her days would be planned and the changes they made for her arrival.

"Yuuki-sama, we are having a party here tomorrow night. We thought it would be a good time for you to make your introduction into society." said Lord Aidou conversationally. Yuuki froze with her cup raised to her lips. She slowly put it back on the table.

"Tomorrow?" she asked uncertainly. She wasn't expecting anything to happen so soon and all her worries from earlier came back. What if she wasn't ready?

"Yes, unless that isn't alright with you…?" asked Lord Aidou's wife offhandedly.

"No, of course it is fine. I was just worried about my appearance; I'm afraid that I have nothing to wear to such a formal occasion." said Yuuki casually, coming up with an excuse. It was easy to quickly conceal her apprehension. Lord Aidou smiled.

"No need to worry, Yuuki-sama. Your brother informed us of your dress size and we took the liberty to provide you with a whole wardrobe." Yuuki nodded and rose from her seat. She wanted time to think and prepare for tomorrow night.

"I would like to unpack some of my belongings. Can you please have someone escort me to my room?"

"Of course, Yuuki-sama. I'll just call–" Lord Aidou motioned for one of the servants, but Hanabusa rose from his seat.

"I'll take her there, father."

-----------------------------------

Hanabusa's strong gaze really was making Yuuki feel comfortable. He had showed her through the mansion, pointing out all the beautiful architecture and items. The mansion was one hundred times bigger than Cross' house and Yuuki felt slightly lost in it. She had noticed some guards positioned in certain areas around the mansion but Lord Aidou had told her that they had hired guards for her protection. The whole time during her tour Hanabusa's eyes never left her. It was like he was trying to memorize every detail of her face. Yuuki almost let out a sigh of relief when they finally arrived at her room.

"This was one of the guest rooms, but we had it renovated before your arrival." said Aidou, lingering by the door with her, hoping that she might invite him in or start a conversation. It wouldn't be proper for him to invite himself in. However, Yuuki wanted time to herself. She gave Hanabusa a dazzlingly smile that left him slightly stunned.

"Thank you for the tour of the house. Goodnight." said Yuuki. She quickly went into the room and closed the door before Hanabusa could say a word. Yuuki eyes widened as she took in the size and beauty of her room. It was absolutely gorgeous. She slowly walked around the room and took everything in. There was a four poster bed with white silk sheets and a balcony that looked upon the landscape of the Aidou estate. Yuuki went into the closet, which was about the size of her old bedroom. There were rows upon rows of beautiful clothes, shoes, and jewelry.

Yuuki went to the bed and fell upon it, sighing to herself. Things would be so different from now on; she simply wasn't _used_ to living in such an extravagant lifestyle and was really dreading that party. Hopefully, Kaname would be able to attend and then she wouldn't feel so alone. Out of habit, her hand went to her neck, where her locket was usually hanging.

Yuuki let out a sigh of sadness when she realized it wasn't there.


	11. Arc 2: Sharpest Lives

_After two weeks I have finally updated. Don't worry everybody, we are almost to Cross Academy. And Zero will be coming back in the next chapter. –hugs her favorite ex-human- _

_I finally reached my goal of 100 reviews! Thank you guys for all your wonderful support and reviews. _

_Thank you, __**VampireMaddy**__, for being an awesome beta and fixing this chapter for me. –hands you a Kuran cookie- _

_The song 'Sharpest Lives' by My Chemical Romance was playing in my head while I wrote this. _

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. The lawyers enjoy threatening people with their Law Books of Doom. **

**Chapter 11**

**Sharpest Lives**

_Yuuki rarely dreamed of her life before her parents died. It was filled with so many bittersweet memories. She wasn't sure if what was happening was a memory or a dream. She was in her old room, in the basement under Kuran Manor, trying to go to bed like her parents had told her to. Her eyes opened lazily when she heard the low voices of her parents outside the door. _

"_What if Kaname is right, Juuri? Is it really fair to Yuuki?"asked her father. He didn't sound angry, just concerned. A low sigh came from Juuri. _

"_What else are we supposed to do? The council is out of control and… there is still Rido. Do you want him to get to Yuuki, too?" Her voice wasn't cruel, just soft and slightly defeated. _

"_Why would you ask me that when you already know the answer?" asked Haruka, a slight trace of hurt in his voice. _

"_I know Kaname loves Yuuki and he is only thinking of her happiness, but we need to think about her safety, too." A moment of silence passed between the two purebloods before Yuuki's father spoke up again. _

"_How long will this last, Juuri?" whispered Haruka. A full minute passed before Juuri finally answered. _

"_Our first child was already exposed to the horrors of the world. I just want Yuuki to escape the tragic fate attached to being a pureblood…" _

Yuuki's eyes snapped open when she heard a knock on the door. She mentally kicked herself for dozing off again. She rose from the small sofa she had been laying on and made her way to the door. She sensed the presence of a Level C and wasn't surprised to find one of the maids of the house on the other side of the door. The maid took a hasty step back when Yuuki opened the door and quickly bowed.

"K-Kuran-sama. The party has begun and Aidou-sama wishes to know if you will be ready soon." said the maid. Her eyes kept darting from Yuuki to the floor. Low level vampires rarely encountered purebloods, and Yuuki was the first one the maid had ever met.

"Tell Lord Aidou that I am almost ready." replied Yuuki. Aware of the maid's discomfort, Yuuki dismissed her. Yuuki went back into her room and made her way to the mirror. It had been a long day for Yuuki as she was still adjusting to living in a new environment and had only managed to catch a few hours sleep. Every noise and presence had kept her up.

Yuuki had breakfasted with the Aidou family. Lord Aidou and his wife were gracious hosts. However, unfortunately for Yuuki, they had to leave early to take care of some business. Yuuki had decided that she did not like Natsumi. It wasn't that the female noble said anything to directly _offend_ Yuuki, but she asked far many questions about Yuuki's previous life before moving to the Aidou residence. Yuuki hoped that the other nobles didn't have such unpleasant auras. Yuuki wasn't able to actually enjoy her breakfast until Natsumi and her sisters had left.

Hanabusa didn't stare at her as much as he did the day before. He was actually a polite boy. After breakfast, he offered to bring her to their family's lake and show her around the rest of the estate. She had laughed softly when he revealed his power to her and froze the whole lake over. The whole time guards were everywhere.

When Yuuki returned to her room, she found out that Lord Aidou's wife had sent a few maids to help Yuuki get ready for the party. Yuuki had tried to wave them off, but the maids had been too eager to help. Soon Yuuki found herself bathing in rose scented water and having her waist long hair brushed out. Finally, Yuuki firmly told the maids to leave so she could finish getting ready herself. After putting her dress, Yuuki sat on the sofa and dozed off.

Yuuki stared at her reflection in the mirror. The pale pink dress she wore was made of a soft flowing fabric and her hair had been styled in a messy, but elegant, bun. The dress fitted every curve of her body and Yuuki tried to smooth out any of the wrinkles on it. She let out a heavy sigh before turning around and leaving the room. As Yuuki made her way down the hallway, she looked out the windows. She could see cars pulling up to the Aidou estate and the beautiful nobles exiting them.

When Yuuki arrived at the door to the ballroom, she was disappointed to see that no one was waiting to accompany her to the party. She wasn't that surprised. Everyone was probably already in the room, waiting for her to arrive.

She let out another sigh and opened the door.

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"Kuran Yuuki-sama is a little late, isn't she?" said Ruka, leaning against the wall along with Hanabusa and Kain. She ignored the male nobles in the room who were giving her flirtatious looks and turned her attention to her two childhood friends. Kain shrugged, but Hanabusa gave her an annoyed look.

"Yuuki-sama can come any time she wants." he said. Ruka sighed and flipped a strand of blonde hair from her face. Ruka's eyes travelled to the male pureblood across the room. Kuran Kaname was standing with Ichiou and Takuma as other nobles came up to greet him. Ruka waited, hoping Kaname's eyes would meet hers, and let out another sigh when Kaname's eyes didn't so much as glance at her. She had been pining for Kaname for years. Ruka couldn't help but feel disgusted as other vampires introduced their young daughters to Kaname. As Ruka continued to stare at Kaname she saw his eyes suddenly glance at the door to the room. The door opened slowly and Ruka heard Hanabusa let out a gasp as a small figure entered the room.

Ruka couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as she studied Kuran Yuuki. She was a young, petite girl with beautiful features. Ruka could sense the pureblood running through the younger vampire's veins as she bowed along with the other nobles. Ruka took a quick glance at Kaname and noticed that he had a small, genuine smile on his face as he regarded his sister.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." said Yuuki apologetically. Her soft, high-pitched voice seemed to project across the room.

"Not at all, Yuuki-sama." said the gruff voice of Ichiou. He was the first to rise from his bow and everyone else followed suit. Ichiou walked a step behind Kaname as the male pureblood made his way to Yuuki. Kaname stopped in front of Yuuki and grabbed her hand lightly. He brought it up to his lips.

"Hello, Yuuki." he said softly. He pressed a gentle kiss on her hand.

"I'm so glad that you were able to come, onii-sama." replied Yuuki. Her eyes were locked with Kaname's but she looked away when she heard a slight cough. Her eyes turned to Ichiou and Takuma. Takuma gave her brief smile in greeting. It was nice to be able to see him again. Ichiou studied her closely the entire time.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Yuuki-sama." said Ichiou. He bowed his head in respect, although it could be considered almost mocking. Kaname rested his hand on Yuuki's shoulder.

"Ichiou, this is my little sister, Yuuki. Yuuki, this is my guardian and Takuma's grandfather, Ichijo Asato."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ichijo-san." said Yuuki politely. Yuuki tried to ignore the evil presence she sensed coming from Ichiou. It was partially his fault that she had had to remain hidden from society for so long. For a second, Yuuki thought she saw Ichiou's eyes glance briefly at her neck. She didn't have time to linger on the thought as Lord Aidou walked up to them. Ichiou eyes narrowed as Aidou came to stand with them.

"Good evening, Ichijo-_sama_," said Lord Aidou. Ichiou nodded briefly in return and kept his face expressionless.

"I was introducing myself to Yuuki-sama, Aidou. I hope that is not a problem." he said. The only emotion in his voice was faint twinge of anger.

"Not at all, Ichijo-sama. I just thought it would be appropriate for Yuuki-sama to be introduced to everyone else." answered Aidou. He motioned to everyone else in the room. All the nobles were listening to their conversation with rapt attention. A few whispers passed between all the vampires. Kaname turned his attention to them and raised up his hand for silence.

"Everyone this is my sister and fiancée, Kuran Yuuki." As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone in the room started chattering in excitement.

"_They are following in the footsteps of their late parents, Haruka-sama and Juuri-sama…" _

"_Yuuki-sama seems like she would be a beautiful bride for him…" _

"_It seems that the Kuran bloodline will be continued…"_

As nobles begin to walk up to Yuuki, Ruka stared at the Kurans in horror. They were fiancées. Ruka felt all her dreams and hopes of having any chance with Kaname fall apart in front of her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kain looking down at her with sympathetic eyes. He knew of her unrequited love for the pureblood. He thought the love was foolish of her, but he always remained by her side.

"Ruka…"

"I…I'm going to get some fresh air." muttered Ruka quickly. She shrugged Kain's hand off and turned to walk away. No one seemed to notice her hasty departure.

Ruka wasn't the only who was crushed by the news. Kain looked down at his cousin, who was staring at the purebloods with a mixture of horror, shock, and hurt. He had always talked down to Ruka when it came to her love for Kaname, but now he was in the same predicament as her.

Kain just didn't understand his friends sometimes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hours later, Yuuki walked out of the crowded room. She decided that parties were an extremely uncomfortable affair for her. So far she had been introduced to almost every noble that attended the party. A lot of them had heard of the opening of Cross Academy's Night Class and they heard that both Yuuki and Kaname would be attending. Yuuki was slightly amused that some of the nobles were surprised at how correctly she was behaving. Apparently, they had been expecting her to behave in a poor manner. Yuuki was already able to convince many of the nobles to change their minds about sending their children to the Academy.

Yuuki was currently walking on the pathway through one of the Aidou estate's gardens. She stopped when she sensed the presences of two vampires ahead of her and heard low whispers. Yuuki followed the chatter and stopped behind a tree. Yuuki peeked around a tree and saw two blonde female vampires conversing a few feet ahead. Yuuki rested her back against the tree and listened to the conversation.

"It is a rare site to see a pureblood attend one of the Aidous' soirees, but to finally meet Kuran Yuuki… that is truly shocking." said the younger vampire in wonder. A soft snort followed the statement.

"Indeed. I was beginning to think that Kaname-sama would keep the _poor _princess locked away forever." replied the other women mockingly.

"Yes, but she is a much more elegant girl than everyone expected her to be. She reminds me of her mother, the late Juuri-sama. I believe she is a suitable fiancée for Kaname-sama." A mummer of agreement came from the other female vampire.

"Kaho-chan, did you notice that whenever anyone presented their daughters to Kaname-sama in the past, he would blatantly refuse to discuss the topic?" Yuuki stiffened when she heard these words. What did this woman mean by 'present their daughters'. Kaname had never told her anything about this.

"Kaname-sama clearly wanted to remain faithful to his fiancée." replied Kaho, "But isn't that a little selfish of him? The seed of a pureblood will help strengthen any vampire clan. Kaname-sama doesn't seem to understand that it is his duty to the vampire race to help make the nobles of our society stronger."

"His father was the same way. I guess some would consider it romantic. However, that is a discussion for another time. Tell me, Kaho-chan, have you heard the recent rumors about…" The conversation slowly got lower as the women walked away. Yuuki waited until she couldn't sense the other vampires before walking from behind the tree. She sat on the stone bench that was placed next to it.

_Duty as a pureblood… _

Is that what was expected of Kaname? He would have to provide the vampire race with offspring containing strong pureblood. What would be expected of Yuuki, then? She always had her own insecurities when considering her relationship with Kaname. She was young, ungraceful, and inexperienced when dealing with the affairs of society and Kaname was…

Yuuki's senses had gifted her with acute hearing and she froze when she heard a small sniff. She got up and followed the sound. Her senses lead her to the edge of the lake. She kept walking until she finally located the source of the noise. A lovely girl with dark blonde curls was slumped against one of the benches. Upon closer inspection, Yuuki saw that the girl had a miserable expression and silent tears were streaming down her face. Yuuki slowly made her way to her.

"Are you alright?" asked Yuuki softly. Ruka looked up and her eyes narrowed briefly when they saw Yuuki, but she looked away so she could brush her tears away. Yuuki was the last person she wanted to see. Ruka rose gracefully and bowed her head respectfully to Yuuki.

"I'm fine, Yuuki-sama. I was just about to leave anyway." She offered no other explanation and turned her back to Yuuki. Yuuki still wanted an answer, though. She wanted to know why this girl was sitting by herself and in tears.

"Stop." ordered Yuuki quietly. Ruka wanted to keep walking, but she could not ignore a direct order from a pureblood. She turned back around and looked at the younger vampire directly.

"Yes, Yuuki-sama?"

"Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't crying!" said Ruka indignantly, embarrassed to be caught in a moment of weakness. She quickly closed her mouth after her rude display as Yuuki gave her a dry look. Ruka sighed softly. "Something at the party upset me." Yuuki looked at Ruka for a moment and then looked across the lake. Yuuki knew who she was talking to. Aidou had mentioned Ruka as an old childhood friend. Yuuki had seen the way Ruka had looked at Kaname earlier that evening, and the way she had quickly left the room. It wasn't hard to figure out what she was upset about.

"Are you in love with Kaname, Ruka-chan?" said Yuuki suddenly. Her assumptions were proven correct when Ruka turned to look at her in horror.

"I-I…"

"Yuuki?" called a male voice. Yuuki turned around to see Kaname walking towards the two of them. He stopped in front of Yuuki and looked at Ruka curiously. Ruka prayed that he had not been listening to their earlier conversation.

"K-Kaname-sama."

"Good evening, Ruka."

"Excuse me. I will be leaving now." Ruka walked away from the two of them as quickly as she possibly could. Kaname watched Ruka's retreating back for a few seconds before turning to Yuuki. Yuuki looked away from his questioning look and kept her gaze locked on the lake before them. The moon was shining brightly, throwing a stunning reflection across the water. Yuuki stiffened when she felt Kaname rest his hand on her shoulder gently.

"Did Ruka say something to upset you?" he asked. He was not oblivious to her feelings for him and he was afraid that Ruka had said something to Yuuki. Yuuki shook her head at his question.

"No. I don't think she likes me, though." replied Yuuki. She sat on the bench Ruka had previously occupied. She tried to ignore Kaname's presence because the conversation she had heard earlier was still fresh in her mind. Kaname sighed and sat on the bench next to her. He grabbed her chin, his touch soft but his grip firm, and turned Yuuki's head towards him.

"What's bothering you, Yuuki?" he asked lightly. It was obvious from the look in her eyes and the way she avoided his gaze that something had upset her. Yuuki shook her head once again.

"Nothing–"

"–You're lying."

"I just… I'm just worried about the future. About… us." said Yuuki honestly. She kept her gaze on the ground as she continued. "Everyone is expecting so much from you and me and–" Yuuki was cut off as Kaname pressed a finger against her lips. He removed it and wrapped an arm around her waist. When Yuuki looked up to meet his gaze and found herself looking into warm, crimson eyes.

"I love you, Yuuki. I promise everything will be fine." Yuuki froze as Kaname bent down and pressed his lips firmly against hers. The kiss was gentle yet over before Yuuki had the chance to respond. He pulled away from her and pressed his face against her soft hair. Yuuki tried to get over her shock and say the words she had been thinking earlier.

"I lo–"

"Kaname! Yuuki!" The two purebloods pulled away from each other to see Takuma walking towards them. He had a panicked look on his face. "Everyone is wondering where you two went. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine. We both needed some fresh air." answered Kaname calmly. He looked at Yuuki. "I'll be waiting for you back at the mansion, Yuuki." He gave her a small smile and walked away with Takuma.

-----------------------------

The sun was just starting to rise when Yuuki finally made it her room. Yuuki reflected upon the long, eventful night as she started getting ready for bed. Parties did not treat her pureblood senses kindly. She had been surrounded at all times in the room as vampires stared at her, greeted her, or asked her a million questions at once. She was good at hiding her nervousness and she knew she had nothing to fear, but Yuuki couldn't help but feel a little jumpy. Perhaps it was the presence of Ichiou that made her so uncomfortable. She had noticed how his eyes seemed to stay on her the entire night. Yuuki felt intense sadness for Kaname, who had to live in the same house as that awful man.

_Kaname_…

Yuuki brought her hand up to touch her lips. Her face blushed scarlet as she thought of what had happened between the two of them earlier. She remembered his firm grasp around her waist and how familiar his lips had felt against her. Yuuki remembered when she still needed to get energy from others instead of blood. Kaname had always been the one she had gone to; she drank the life force she needed from his lips. Yuuki decided she didn't have to worry about Kaname being with other women anymore.

A quick knock echoed in the room. Yuuki put her robe on over her night clothes and made her way to her bedroom door. She opened it to reveal one of the household's male servants. He was one of the handsome Level C's that worked in the mansion. He bowed to Yuuki and kept his eyes to the ground.

"May I come in, Yuuki-sama?" he asked. Yuuki looked at him cautiously before moving aside and allowing him entry. She closed the door after him as he made his way to the middle of the room. He stood patiently and looked up before he addressed Yuuki earnestly.

"I have come, under the instructions of Lord Aidou, to offer you my blood." Yuuki's eyes widened in shock, but she swiftly masked her surprise. She had not put much thought into how she would get blood once she moved to the Aidou estate. Obviously, she would have to stop feeding from Kaname. There were still the blood tablets, though.

"Your…blood?" asked Yuuki uncertainly. The other vampire nodded nervously. He had been sent because Lord Aidou knew the Kurans followed pacifist ideals and didn't think Yuuki would want to drink from a human.

"Yes, unless you would prefer a human brought to you…"

"No." answered Yuuki quickly. She would never want to kill a human or turn them into a Level E. A brief image of Zero flashed before her eyes. Actually, Yuuki was very thirsty. She walked up to the servant slowly and he bent down a little so his neck was within Yuuki's reach. The servant swallowed nervously as he felt the young pureblood's fangs brush against his neck. It was an honour to have a pureblood vampire drink from you and the male vampire held back a moan when he felt her fangs finally pierce his neck.

-------------------------------

After a few minutes, the male vampire sent to Yuuki exited the room. The two puncture wounds on his neck would take a while to heal. As he made his way back to his duties, Yuuki stood in the middle of her large, quiet room. She now had her fill of blood and was feeling better, but something didn't feel right about what she did. She rushed to her nightstand, where a glass and pitcher of water sat, and dropped three blood tablets into the glass. Yuuki brought the glass up to her lips and drank quickly. When she was done she put more water and blood tablets in the glass.

She would rather have the bland taste of blood tablets in her mouth than the disgusting taste of that man's blood.

_One more chapter and then we will finally be arriving at Cross Academy. _

_-All the readers mutter "finally" all at once- _


	12. Arc 3: Unrequited

_I lied. I decided to send Yuuki and Kaname to Cross Academy a chapter earlier than planned. I changed some stuff from the manga. Zero's character stayed the same, but he mostly treats Yuuki the same as he treats other vampires. He's a little more open to her than the others. I also made Kaname a lot less lonely. This chapter starts the same as the manga starts off. _

_Kaname and Yuuki have moved on in their relationship compared to previous chapters. However, I am not making things easy for them (Zero doesn't know they are fiancées) and plan to put some obstacles in their way. _

_Thank you to all the people who reviewed/faved/alerted this story. You guys are amazing! –gives everyone Kuran cookies-_

_Super special thanks to **VampireMaddy**who helps make this story not suck by using her amazing beta skills on it. –pushes an Aston Martin full of Kuran cookies to you.- _

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight...at all. **

**Chapter 12 **

**Unrequited **

"KYA! _IDOL-SENPAI!_"

Kuran Yuuki groaned as the high pitched shrieks of teenage girls reached the silence of her large bedroom and her sleep was interrupted. Her long auburn was thrown across her pillow as she tossed in bed; the screaming becoming gradually louder. Finally, Yuuki gave up on getting more sleep and slowly opened her crimson eyes. She waited for her head to clear a little before she rose from her bed gracefully, muffling a small yawn as she made her way to her closet. Why were the Day Class girls _already _waiting outside the Moon Dorm gates? The Night Class didn't leave for class for another two _hours_. And anyway… weren't the Moon Dorm rooms supposed to be sound proof?

After months of negations with the Vampire Council and Hunters Association, the Night Class was finally able to be established in Cross Academy. It had not been easy. If there had been only one pureblood attending the Academy then the negotiations would have been easier. However, the Hunters Association had become suspicious when they found out that _two _purebloods were going to be in the Night Class. Even the Council had problems with the arrangements. They changed their minds about the Night Class quickly. They became uneasy when Kaname refused to be under the guardianship of Ichiou anymore. The Kurans were powerful and influential vampires in society, and they were also engaged. If they wanted to they could gather many allies and establish themselves as monarchs again, the Night Class would be a perfect opportunity to do this; unwatched by the council. And that was exactly what the council suspected them of planning. Even a few nobles were whispering this rumor. In the end, it was actually Yuuki who was able to change their minds.

Yuuki was introduced into vampire society with others having high expectations. Purebloods were respected and revered, but their lives could be lonely ones. One sign of weakness and they could be eaten alive; literally in some cases. That was why they had to put up a mask of perfect control and power when they were in the presence of other vampires. At a young age, Yuuki had learned how to control her emotions so her aura would not cause havoc for others. While she was at the Aidou residence she learned how to use the authority given to her by her status. She could not allow herself to be manipulated or looked down upon.

Yuuki was determined that the Night Class was established and nothing could change her mind on the matter. Cross could handle the Hunters Association, but it was up to the Kurans to sway the council's mind. Yuuki had already convinced many nobles to allow their children to attend the Academy but she knew that the only reason most of them were going was because two purebloods were attending. Yuuki did have a gentle personality and grace that attracted others, but she also had the same power as her brother. She could put up a mask of cold authority and indifference when it was needed. Her reasoning with the council was clear and concise; she made clear their objectives in establishing the class, and many nobles had trouble suspecting the youthful princess of plotting the council's , after many meetings, the council felt they had no choice but to agree to the Kurans' proposal.

An old building of the Academy grounds was cleaned out for the coming of the Night Class. The Moon Dorms were designed to fit the tastes of the high class aristocrats that would be living there. Each room was made into a lavishly decorated suite. Unlike the Sun Dorms, maids and butlers worked at the Moon Dorm. Of course, the biggest and most beautiful suite was given to the Kurans. Kaname was the Night Class President and Head of the Moon Dorm. Yuuki was given the title of Vice President. They shared the same suite, but they had separate bedrooms. Yuuki appreciated the fact that Kaname didn't try to rush their relationship.

Presently, Yuuki finished changing in her closet and came out wearing her white Night Class uniform. She smoothed out the wrinkles briskly. Yuuki had to agree that the uniforms fit the sophisticated aristocrats, but she still preferred the Day Class clothes. She went to her full length mirror where she started brushing her long hair quickly. After she was finished she made her way to the desk near the window where her thick curtains were partially closed to prevent the sun from hurting her sensitive eyes. Her eyes scanned the desk quickly before she found what she was looking for. The beautiful purple jewels of her locket shined dimly. As she picked it up and hooked it around her neck, Yuuki's eyes looked through the gap of her curtains. She scanned the crowds of screaming girls in search of the silver haired teenager. She let out a heavy sigh when she couldn't find him.

_Zero… _

Yuuki always had trouble describing her relationship with the school's prefect. She knew he was absolutely against the idea of pacifism between humans and vampires, but she had always hoped that he would learn to be more comfortable around her, despite what she was. They both had a bloody past that took away people they cared about and they were kindred spirits in a way. Yuuki knew that if circumstances were different then they could have been good friends. Yuuki couldn't change what she was, though. She still treated him kindly every time she saw him. Zero's response usually depended on his mood. Yuuki had asked Cross to keep her updated on Zero's progression into vampirism. When Zero had nightmares or felt his need for blood grow stronger, he usually ignored Yuuki's kind gestures. If he was feeling better he would sometimes respond to Yuuki. It was complicated relationship on the borderline between hate and friendship.

Yuuki remembered when she had been reunited with Zero again. The vampire nobles had just arrived at Cross Academy and were staying at the teachers' old dorm building. While Kaname explained the rules of the Night Class, Yuuki went to the Chairman's office to say hello and pick up the surveys the Night Class had to take. She had been admiring the beautiful scenery when a familiar presence caused her to freeze. A second later she had felt cold metal against her back….

_Yuuki froze as her senses alerted her to the danger of her situation. She mentally berated her powers for not alerting her of the danger earlier. She knew who was holding the gun and she prayed he would recognize her before firing the shot. If her blood was spilt not only would Kaname be murderous, but the whole class of noble vampires. She tensed as a voice, as cold as the metal, addressed her. _

"_What are you doing wandering around, vampire?" asked Zero. He had been keeping a look out on the vampires' lair and had been more than angry to find one of them wondering around. He knew it was a pureblood and would not allow her to get close to the Sun Dorms. Unfortunately, he didn't know it was a pureblood he was already familiar with. _

"_I'm the Vice President of the Night Class. I was going to the Chairman's office to pick up something. I meant no harm." replied Yuuki. Aware of the gun still pressed against her back, she slowly turned around. A small smile appeared on her face. "Hello Ze–"_

_The smile left her face and the words died on her tongue. _

_Zero looked… sick. His violet eyes seemed to have lost any life in them and his skin was unnaturally pale and his face was gaunt. Even his clothes were a little too big for him, as if he didn't eat properly. Yuuki felt a wave of horror. What had happened to Zero while she was gone? Hadn't the Chairman taken proper care of him? Made sure he ate? Comforted him when he had nightmares? What if Zero had hurt himself when Cross wasn't around? Her eyes travelled to the tattoo that covered half of Zero's neck. Yuuki had studied some books about vampires and vampire hunter charms. The one on Zero was supposed to slow his descent into a vampire and hold back his bloodlust. _

_Zero's eyes had widened when he saw Yuuki's face and his gun fell limply to his side. He took in her beautiful appearance, which had matured since he last saw her. Cross told him that two purebloods would be attending the Academy but he didn't say which ones. Zero suddenly remembered that he had her necklace in his jacket pocket. Despite himself, Zero had kept it on his person instead of giving it to the Chairman. He looked back at Yuuki and he noticed that she was staring at his neck, a look of horror and shock in her eyes. He was aware of what she was looking at and didn't feel like having her gawk at him. She was a pureblood and he knew she was aware of what he was becoming. He mistook her concern for pity and revulsion. He dug in his pocket and pulled her locket out, seeing her eyes lit up slightly when she saw it. He quickly shoved it in her hand. _

"_Stay away from the Day Class students." he said firmly. He hated the fact that as much as he despised what she was, a small part of him had missed her comforting presence. Cross always told him so much about her and it was obvious that the man missed her. Cross was a caring man but Zero felt that he should keep as much of a distance between them as possible. He couldn't linger by this vampire any longer. He turned his back on her and started walking away but was surprised that she wasn't following him… until he felt a small form collide against his back. _

_Yuuki had her arms wrapped around his waist. She didn't know how to thank him for the return of her locket. She didn't know what he had suffered while she was away. All she could think of doing was offering him some act of kindness and concern. She didn't even care if someone saw her. _

_She just couldn't stand seeing that dead look in his eyes. _

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Zero Kiryu was not the most popular student at Cross Academy. Some people were intimidated and jealous of his excellent grades. Most people didn't like his solemn and indifferent attitude. The only time the silver haired teen ever seemed to show emotion was when he was yelling at the Day Class girls as the Night Class left the Moon Dorms. That didn't happen a lot, however, because Zero was also known for skipping his prefect duties. Even when others tried to befriend Zero, he had a way of pushing them away from him.

There were rumors about him of course. Rumors that involved the lovely and kind vice president of the Night Class, Yuuki Kuran. They noticed the way Yuuki always took the time to greet Zero as she made her way to class. Zero never showed much of his emotions around his fellow students, but a certain look appeared in his eyes when they landed on Yuuki. Zero never commented on the rumors and neither did Yuuki.

The oblivious students had no way of knowing that Yuuki was in love and engaged to someone already. Or _who _that was. That information would of course cause a scandal.

Zero was currently brushing the mane of his favorite horse, White Lily. The infamous horse was only ever calm and gentle around him. Zero knew he was late for prefect duties. There had been more than a few incidents where Zero was absent and the fangirls had swarmed the Night Class.

Zero looked at his prefect badge, which was lying on the ground. He didn't want to go but it was close to Valentine's Day and the girls were going to be especially rowdy. Zero just didn't want to see the unnaturally perfect faces of the Kuran purebloods.

The blood lust was getting worse. Every single day it got worse, and Zero didn't know how much longer he would last. The blood tablets weren't working. He was going to become one of _them_ and he _hated_ it. Zero picked up his prefect badge. He had to go and protect the _vampires _from their adoring fans.

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When Yuuki was finished getting ready for class she exited her bedroom, extending her senses as she tried to locate Kaname in the suite. Finding that he was in the sitting area of the suite, she opened the door slowly and stood in the doorway. Kaname, dressed in his uniform, was stretched across the long sofa in the middle of the room. His silky brown hair fell into his wine-red eyes as he scanned a paper in his hand. Yuuki looked around and saw that there were many papers scattered around him, the insignia of the Council of the Ancients on the corners. She also noticed a plate of untouched food on the table next to him. It didn't take long for her to figure out what happened.

Kaname looked up at Yuuki when he noticed her presence. He gave her a warm smile, but it disappeared when he saw the disapproving look on her face. He rose from his laid back position and put the paper he was reading down. Yuuki made her way to him.

"You didn't get any sleep last night, did you?" she asked, her tone reproving. She came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "How come you never let me help you with those council reports?"

A low sigh passed from Kaname's lips as Yuuki's slim arms wrap around his shoulders. Her small hands slowly massaged his tense shoulders until he relaxed.

"The reports are not a problem, Yuuki."

"But they seem so tiring. It makes me worried about you, onii-sama." replied Yuuki. She leaned closer until her mouth was level with his ear. Kaname shivered slightly as her warm breath blew against it. "_Please _let me help you with those reports. We could probably get more work done if we did them together." Yuuki felt Kaname slowly relax from her touch and nod. A small smile of victory appeared on her face. She pulled away from him and made her way around the sofa. She stood in front of the sofa and started picking up some of the papers on the ground.

"Class is starting soon. We should–ah!" Yuuki let out a small yelp of surprise as an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her smoothly to the sofa. She landed with a gentle thud against the soft sofa. Once Yuuki got over her shock she let out a small giggle. Kaname had pulled her close to him and his lips brushed softly against her cheek.

"You never said good morning to me…" said Kaname teasingly. Yuuki smiled and brushed her fingers through his silky tresses. It made her feel special when Kaname showed a warm side of himself that he didn't show around others. It was also nice that she could be herself around him. She was kind and friendly to the ones around her but her real childish and energetic personality would no doubt be looked down upon by other vampires as uncouth and unrefined.

"Good morning, Kaname." said Yuuki cheerfully, placing a chaste kiss against his lips which slowly became more passionate. Both of Yuuki's hands tangled in Kaname's hair as his arms wrapped around her. Kaname's lips left Yuuki's, but they didn't leave her skin. They continued against the curved line of her jaw and then to the smooth skin of her neck. Yuuki let out a small gasp as she felt sharp fangs brush against her neck. The feeling was incredible considering how sensitive her neck was.

"K-Kaname, stop it…" muttered Yuuki. When it was obvious Kaname's attention would not leave her neck, or the blood that was flowing through it, Yuuki quickly disengaged herself from his arms. She tried to ignore the apparent bloodlust in his eyes. It wasn't like she wanted him to stop; she would always give her blood freely to him. But their location was just too dangerous. The peace on the Cross Academy grounds was extremely fragile and the vampires still thirsted for real blood. When Yuuki had been living with the Aidou clan, sometimes Kaname and Yuuki would drink from each other when they were alone. The residents there were polite enough to ignore the scent. However, if the scent of pureblood drifted through the school the nobles would become riled up and may become a danger to the humans. Just the thought of the last time she tasted Kaname's blood caused Yuuki's throat to tighten painfully.

"Just a little, Yuuki? Please…" asked Kaname huskily. He wanted her blood as much as she wanted his and her closeness and warmth was just making him desire even more. His arms once again wrapped around Yuuki's waist. She looked into his entrancing red eyes. When Yuuki made no move to stop him Kaname's lips once again returned to her neck. He stuck out his tongue and slowly licked her neck and tasted her sweet skin. The action made Yuuki snap out of the daze she had been in. She moved away again.

"I'm sorry, Kaname. I just… I'm worried about the Day Class. The Night Class will be in an aggravated state if they smell blood." she told him. After a moment, Kaname nodded and his eyes returned to their normal crimson color. Yuuki smiled sadly at the disappointed expression on his face and placed her hand on his cheek. "My blood is always yours to take. Maybe this weekend we can go somewhere alone…" The suggestion seemed to make Kaname feel a little better. He placed his hand over hers.

"I'll hold you up on that offer, my dear." replied Kaname warmly. Yuuki smiled and rose from the sofa.

"We really should go to class now."

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The nobles always treated their pureblood superiors with the upmost respect. As a sign of this respect, they always waited until Kaname and Yuuki arrived in the foyer before heading to their nighttime classes. Yuuki observed her fellow classmates as she walked down the grand staircase next to Kaname. Her eyes travelled across the faces of the many beautiful aristocrats gathered, eventually landing on a certain group of vampire nobles, probably the most powerful and well-known ones at the Academy. It consisted of Ichijo Takuma, the cheerful blonde who was Yuuki's best friend. Ichijo was talking animatedly to Shiki Senri who was the son of a popular actress in Japan. Shiki was conceived from an affair between his mother and an unnamed pureblood. Shiki was a part time model alongside his childhood friend Touya Rima. Rima and Shiki were eating sticks of pocky as they listened to Ichijo, similar bored expressions on their faces.

Across from Ichijo, Shiki, and Rima were three nobles Yuuki was also familiar with. Kain Akatsuki had his arm wrapped around the thin waist of Ruka. She was leaning into his touch but her eyes quickly darted up to Kaname when she saw him enter the room. After Ruka found out that Kaname had a fiancée she tried to give up on her unrequited love of him. She started a relationship with her closet friend, Kain, who had loved her for a long time. They seemed happy together, but Ruka was still having trouble giving up the attraction she felt for Kaname.

Next to Kain stood the charmingly handsome Aidou Hanabusa. He was staring at Yuuki as she made her way to the bottom of the staircase; his gaze was strong and unwavering as it followed her movements. As soon as their gazes locked and Yuuki saw Aidou's eyes lit up, she looked away quickly and turned her attention elsewhere. Yuuki didn't want to see the look of hurt she always saw on his face when she turned down his advances. Aidou knew that she was engaged, but unlike Ruka, he still held onto the small hope that Yuuki would return his feelings. It wasn't really uncommon for purebloods to have lovers amongst the nobles, especially purebloods who were in an arranged marriage. Yuuki honestly felt sorry for Aidou and tried to be nice to him. He could be childish and arrogant at moments but he was also a really kind person. She just tried to keep a certain distance between them.

"Thank you for waiting for us. Let's head to the gates now." said Kaname, lightly grabbing Yuuki's hand in his as they made their way to the front door. Yuuki greeted her bodyguard, Seiren. The no-nonsense and solemn noble gave her a 'good morning' with her usual emotionless face. Ichijo and Aidou came to stand by the Kuran siblings and the others joined them. The door was opened and the sound of screaming girls struck the vampires' sensitive ears. Yuuki looked ahead and a small smile appeared on her face when she saw that Zero had decided to come on patrol. His glowering face seemed to be holding back the Day Class girls. When the Night Class arrived at the gates they slowly creaked open. The girl's high pitched voices intensified when they saw their beloved idols.

"IDOL-SENPAI! WILD-SENPAI!"

"KYA! ICHIJO-SENPAI!"

The girls screamed and laughed as Aidou went into his flirtatious attitude. He charmed the girls as they came to crowd around him. Ruka and Kain rolled their eyes at him and continued walking. The Day Class saw them as a group of elite and beautiful honor students. Kain wondered if the girls would be so enthusiastic if they knew just what they really were.

Kaname and Yuuki walked hand in hand as they made their way down the pavement. The Day Class viewed it as a platonic and caring act. The two of them smiled politely at the students who greeted them. When a girl would come up to Kaname with some sort of gift Yuuki would tighten her grip on Kaname's hand and quickly pull him forward. Kaname seemed amused at her jealousy, even though he acted the same way when a Day Class boy showed attraction towards Yuuki. They continued their quick pace until Yuuki stopped and gave Kaname an apologetic look, the same one she gave him any time she went to talk to Zero, and walked over to the silver haired prefect who had his back to her. Kaname let go of her hand reluctantly. He didn't understand why she always felt the need to speak with the rude Kiryu boy. He watched with envious eyes as Yuuki tapped on the boy's shoulder.

"Good afternoon, Zero." said Yuuki nicely. Zero tensed at the sound of her voice and slowly turned around. As soon as Yuuki saw the look in his eyes she knew he was in one of those bad moods. His amethyst eyes were angry and tired when they landed on her. When it appeared that he wasn't going to reply to her greeting she continued talking.

"I wanted to thank you for being the school's prefect. It really has made things easier for the Night Class." As soon as the words left her mouth, Yuuki wished she could have reworded. She knew how much he hated the Night Class and he defiantly wasn't the school's guardian for the sake of the vampires. Zero eyes narrowed slightly.

"I'm not doing this for _them_." said Zero. Yuuki nodded at this and quickly darted her gaze to the rest of the Night Class, who were waiting for her. She turned her attention back to Zero and noticed how he seemed determined not to meet her gaze. She wondered if he was in a bad mood because he had a nightmare or if his bloodlust was starting to become unbearable. She knew she only had a few more minutes to speak to him. She put on a teasing smile.

"No need to be so uptight, Zero." she said in a joking tone. She twirled a strand of hair around her finger. It was a nervous habit of hers that some viewed as a flirtatious gesture. Most of the Day Class students thought that Zero and Yuuki had a secret relationship that her older brother was against. They didn't know that Yuuki only viewed Zero as a friend. However, some of them heard her next words. "And here I was thinking about getting you some Valentine's Day chocolate…"

Yuuki laughed softly at the look of horror that appeared on Zero's face. She didn't appear to notice the looks of anger on Aidou and Kaname's face. The horror on Zero's face quickly turned to anger.

"I don't have to stand here while you mock me. Go to class with that arrogant brother." he said, feeling a grim satisfaction when he saw the happy expression on Yuuki's face disappear to be replaced with one of annoyance. She silently turned her back to him and started walking back to Kaname. She looked over her shoulder quickly and shared a long look with Zero before talking.

"No need to be so rude, Mr. Prefect."

With those words Yuuki went back to Kaname and grabbed his hand again. They both continued walking with the rest of the Night Class to the school building. Yuuki didn't know whether to feel angry or guilty about her conversation with Zero. She was only joking and didn't mean to offend him, but Zero had no right to speak about Kaname rudely. She tightened her grip on the hand she was holding and felt Kaname squeeze it back reassuringly. She looked back up at him and saw that his face didn't have any traces of anger or envy, just concern. She smiled and stood closer to him.

A few feet behind the purebloods, Aidou walked with his cousin and the vampires he was closest to at the Academy. He made sure they were out of earshot of the Kurans and Ichijo before addressing Kain, Ruka, Rima, and Shiki.

"That Kiryu boy really has no respect for Yuuki-sama." said Aidou in an annoyed tone. He saw the others nod their heads and Ruka quickly agreeing with him.

"He doesn't treat Kaname-sama with any respect either." she added. Kain gave her a questionable look when he noticed the defensive tone she used when talking about the Night Class President. He still had his doubts about their relationship but he tried to pretend not to notice her feelings for the pureblood. Kain directed his attention to Aidou and felt a twinge of panic when he saw the look in his cousin's eyes. It was a look of mischief and anger; a horrible and deadly combination.

"I think we should teach _Kiryu-kun_ a little lesson tonight…"

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"You are all the future of the vampire society. Pacifism with humans is a huge step forward for our kind. You all should be honored to…" Yuuki ignored the rest of the teacher's speech as he continued to lecture. She was sitting on one of the window sills of the classroom with an open book resting on her lap.

The atmosphere of the night class lessons was very relaxed. Kaname was leaning on the wall next to her and he seemed to be actually reading the book that was in his hands. Yuuki turned her attention to hers. It was a book on ancient vampire charms that had been delivered to her from the Kuran mansion. Kaname had suggested that she should start studying the powers of the Kuran clan. Yuuki glanced at the pages before shutting the book. She looked around the classroom and noticed that a few of the students were missing. Aidou, Kain, Ruka, Rima, and Shiki had disappeared from class earlier and still hadn't returned. Her senses told her that she should be more concerned by this. She directed her attention to the school grounds in hopes of spotting them. Everything seemed to be perfect outside, though. The moon was shining brightly in the sky and the grounds were spotless and beautiful. For a moment, Yuuki felt herself relax.

Until the sound of two gunshots broke the silence.

_Oh, no! What have the Night Class and Zero gotten up to? I hope I didn't make Zero seem to mean, but I think he would have been more withdrawn and prone to suicide if he didn't have Yuuki with him. _

_Check out my new story, __**Inferno.**__It's a Sara and Yuuki friendship fic. _

_If you're from the South, have an awesome Mardi Gras and please review! _


	13. Arc 3: Far From Comfortable

_This is the last day of my week-long break and I'm ending it with a VK fanfiction update. Oh God, I can't wait till spring break comes. Thank you for all your reviews/favs/alerts!_

_Aidou and the gang were naughty vampires in this chapter…and poor Kain got stuck in the middle. Also, I'm trying to put more Kaname/Yuuki fluff in this story, but I was kind of distracted by the angst of Zero and Yuuki. Oh, the angst… _

_I think I'm going to update my crack fic next. Chapter 48 of VK was so AMAZING and ANGST-RIDDEN that I have to make fun of it. Speaking of chapter 48…Kaname was so adorable and amazing. But the ancestor thing had me a little confused…_

_Special thanks to __**VampireMaddy**__, who was an awesome beta and fixed this chapter for me even though she wasn't feeling well. I hope you feel better! –gives you another Rido cake- _

_I'm running out of Kuran sweets…_

**Disclaimer: **Are these disclaimers really necessary when you all already know I don't own Vampire Knight? Please tell me they aren't necessary…

**Chapter 13: **

**Far From Comfortable**

The sound of bullets was not what disturbed the Night Class. It was the strong smell of noble blood drifting into the school building that caused everyone in the classroom to go silent. The teacher stopped his lecture mid-sentence as his eyes and the eyes of most of the vampires turned a glowing red. The students looked around in confusion as they tried to locate the source of blood. Yuuki gave Kaname a panicked look because it was easy for them to figure out what must have happened. The only one with a gun on campus was Zero and it was noble blood drifting through the air. And five nobles were missing from the classroom. Yuuki quickly rose from her position on the windowsill and turned to Kaname.

"I'm going to see what happened." she told him. She made to walk away, but Kaname swiftly grabbed her wrist.

"You shouldn't go there by yourself. It could be dangerous," he said, referring to Zero's anti-vampire gun, the Bloody Rose. It was a weapon that Zero was not afraid to use. The young hunter wouldn't stand a chance fighting against Yuuki, but all the same Kaname did not want to risk her safety. "I'll go with you."

"No," Yuuki replied hastily. She discreetly gestured to the rest of the Night Class. The smell of blood was becoming stronger and it was already affecting the vampires. With glowing eyes and sharp fangs, the students sat nervously in their seats or paced the room. "Someone needs to stay and try to keep the class calm." When it appeared Kaname was still unwilling to let her go alone, Yuuki called Seiren and Ichijo. The two nobles seemed to be holding their composure better than the others in the class.

"Seiren and Takuma will come with me," she told Kaname, her eyes darting to the window. The longer she stayed in the classroom simply gave the potential for more blood to be spilt. Yuuki pulled her wrist away from Kaname and looked at him pleadingly. "_Please." _Kaname could not refuse the look she was giving him; all he could do was sigh and nod. He gave Seiren and Ichijo a warning look, which clearly meant that if anything happened to Yuuki they would be held accountable. Kaname started addressing the Night Class on their conduct as Yuuki, Ichijo, and Seiren rushed out of the room.

A pureblood's senses were stronger than that of a human or noble vampire so it was easy for Yuuki to locate the source of blood. Ichijo and Seiren tried to keep up with her fast pace as she started running towards the Academy's lake. As they got closer Yuuki was able to pick up the sound of voices yelling. Ichijo gave her a worried glance when they both heard Aidou's voice let out a frustrated howl. Ichijo was quickly able to figure out what was probably taking place, but that didn't stop his gasp of shock when they finally arrived at the lake.

The grass near the edge of the lake was either burnt or frozen. The five missing vampire nobles were all present. Kain was standing protectively in front of Ruka, whose arm was bleeding. Aidou was standing over an injured Zero. Aidou's shoulder was seeping blood from where he had been shot in the shoulder, but that didn't seem to be stopping him from causing the silver haired prefect pain. Zero's gun had fallen away from him during the fight and his left arm had been frozen completely. Furthermore, an icicle was sticking painfully through Zero's leg as he struggled fiercely against Aidou's grasp. Shiki and Rima were not part of the fight, but they were making no move to stop it.

"_Stop!" _shouted Yuuki. The ice surrounding Zero exploded in a mist of steam and the small fires that Kain had started went out completely. The atmosphere in the area turned frigid. Everyone turned to see Yuuki glaring at them. She was projecting a very angry and dangerous aura. Aidou let go of Zero quickly and backed away in fear.

"Y-Yuuki-sama…"

"What is going on?" asked Yuuki in an icy tone. She took a few steps forward towards the group and waited for an answer. When it appeared that Aidou was too frightened to give her a response Yuuki turned to Kain.

"Tell me what happened here." Kain let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair, sending his cousin an annoyed look.

"Hanabusa asked us to come with him so we could… _talk _to Kiryu about his treatment of you and Kaname-sama. Um, we found Kiryu here and he drew his weapon instantly. Kiryu, Aidou, and Ruka got into an argument and I tried to stop them… only to end up flipped on my back by Kiryu. Aidou and Ruka attacked Kiryu and he ended up shooting both of them. I was just trying to protect Ruka…" said Kain. Yuuki nodded at this explanation. Kain was usually the peacemaker of the group and he was not known for violence. He was still in trouble for following his foolish cousin, though.

"Kain, since you tried to stop the fight at the beginning and only stayed to protect Ruka, you will only be given a two-day suspension." Yuuki turned to Rima and Shiki, who were standing by themselves on the sidelines. "What was your involvement in this?"

"We had nothing to do with the fight. We came because we were bored…" said Rima's low spoken voice. Shiki nodded at this. Yuuki crossed her arms and gave them a hard stare.

"So you just stood here and did nothing? You made no move to stop the violence that was going on. Did you even care about how the scent of blood was affecting your fellow classmates? You could have come to me or Kaname about this or you could have tried to stop what was going on, but you didn't. I will leave your punishment up to the Dorm President." Ignoring the looks of disbelief on Shiki and Rima's faces, Yuuki turned her attention to Ruka. The blonde vampire was partially concealed by Kain and she was clutching her bleeding arm. Since Ruka was more involved in the fight Yuuki had been planning on giving her a strict interrogation, but Ruka's wound had caught her concern. The least she could do was make sure the other vampire wasn't in too much pain.

"Are you alright, Ruka?" asked Yuuki. She tried to calm down so her aura would be less threatening. Ruka gave her a confused expression because she had been expecting a harsher question. It took her a second to realize Yuuki was talking about the wound she had received from the Bloody Rose.

"Uh…yes, Yuuki-sama." replied Ruka, embarrassed.

"Ruka, you were more involved in this conflict than Kain, Rima, and Shiki. Your punishment will also be decided by Kaname." said Yuuki. Ruka moved away from Kain and gave Yuuki an incredulous expression.

"But Yuuki-sama, we were just defending you and Kaname-sama! That boy has no right to–"

"Enough! That is no excuse for what happened tonight. You are aristocrats and your behavior is more than undignified. You should be ashamed of yourselves. This Academy was established for peace, not violence. What would have happened if a Day Class student had accidently come across this scene? Or if one of you had ended up killed? Apparently, none of you stopped to think about that. As far as I'm concerned, _everyone _here is to blame." The nobles bowed their heads in either shame or anger. Zero looked away from her and tried to stand up, but the wound on his leg was too painful. "I may have no control over what punishment Zero will receive, but Kaname will decide what punishment you Night Class students will be given."

"Yuuki, do you want me to bring the students back to class?" asked Ichijo. Yuuki shook her head.

"No, bring them back to the dorms. Aidou and Ruka are injured and it would be best if their wounds are dealt with immediately." Ichijo nodded and gestured for the other nobles to follow him. When Aidou passed by Yuuki she grabbed his arm and brought him to a halt. She gave him a penetrating stare that caused him to gulp fearfully.

"This all seemed to have started because of your reckless behavior, Aidou. I will talk to you later about this." said Yuuki. She let go of his arm and motioned for him to follow his companions. The others did not seem too happy with him and none of them offered him a sympathetic look. Kain was the only one who seemed to be offering Ruka any sympathy at all. Once Yuuki was alone with Seiren and Zero, she addressed her female bodyguard.

"Please go back to class and inform Kaname about what has happened. Tell him I think it would be best if class ended shortly tonight. Also, tell him which students he needs to talk to about punishment." Seiren nodded and bowed to her before going on with her task. Soon Yuuki and Zero were alone by the lake.

Yuuki observed the injured, silver haired prefect. His arm had gone numb from being frozen by Aidou and it was hanging limp at his side. Zero had multiple bruises and cuts on his body and a few burn marks. The worst wound was the one that had been caused by one of Aidou's icicles. The deep cut was oozing blood onto Zero's pants and the ground. He was trying to get up but the wound was preventing him. He ignored Yuuki out of embarrassment and pain. Yuuki was angry with Zero and a part of her wanted to leave him there and just get the Headmaster. However, Yuuki couldn't just ignore his pain if there was something she could do to help.

"Let me help you." said Yuuki, walking over to Zero. She bent down next to him and tried to take a closer look at the wound. When she reached her hand towards the cut Zero quickly slapped her hand away. It was already humiliating and pathetic enough to have beaten by the arrogant vampires. Zero didn't know how much more his pride could take if he had to be healed once again by Yuuki.

"I don't need any help. I'm fine." he said roughly. He gritted his teeth in pain and swiftly rose from the ground. The wound throbbed painfully and forcefully as Zero tried to find his balance. He tried to take a step forward but suddenly a different pain hit his senses. Zero's eyes flashed a brief red and his vision blurred. His throat tightened painfully as he crashed to the ground once again. _Not here. Not now, _Zero thought desperately. He felt the familiar sensations of bloodlust take over him as he doubled over. His senses became more aware of the blood on the ground and the warm body next to him. 

Yuuki had been expecting Zero to fall again but she had not been expecting him to double over in obvious pain. She hesitantly placed her hand on his shoulder. Zero stiffened from her touch but he made no move to pull away. He tried to concentrate on her touch and not the intense pain he was feeling. Yuuki's movements were cautious as she slowly moved her hand up and down his back. Soon, Zero let out a soft groan as his bloodlust passed.

"Zero?" asked Yuuki. Her hand was still resting on his shoulder and she could feel the boy trembling slightly. She knew that he hadn't collapsed from the pain caused by his leg. Yuuki had seen his eyes flash red and she could sense the bloodlust coming from him. She pushed Zero back so he was in a sitting position once again. "Zero, I'll heal your wound so you can go back to your dorm." She waited for a protest from Zero but he remained silent. She took that as conformation that she could continue. Yuuki pulled the tattered fabric away from Zero's leg and looked at the wound. She bowed her head over the deep cut and Yuuki felt Zero shudder as she licked the wound clean. She kept her lips against it as the skin healed. Zero felt relief as the pain he had felt coming from his leg slowly disappeared.

"Does it still hurt?" Zero looked up when he heard Yuuki ask him that question. He stared into her face as he saw her lick away the traces of blood on the corner of her mouth. When Zero shook his head, Yuuki smiled.

"Good. Now I don't have to worry about you when I go tell the Chairman about the fight you were in." Yuuki tried not to laugh at the look of indignation on Zero's face. Just because Zero wasn't feeling well did not mean she had forgotten what had brought her here in the first place. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her white skirt as Zero stood up next to her. He took a careful step with his healed leg and when he felt no pain he straightened up. Zero examined his bloody and tattered clothes. Hopefully no one would be up at the Sun Dorms to ask him any unnecessary questions. Zero knew he would be extremely sore in the morning. Those haughty vampires ruined his chances of having a peaceful night. Now he would have to listen to the Chairman lecture him on good behavior. Zero ran his hand through his hair briefly and started making his way to the dorms so he could finish his patrol. After a few seconds he realized that Yuuki was following closely behind him. She soon came into view and Zero let out an annoyed growl.

"Go back to class, Kuran."

"I have to speak with the Chairman. Kaname ended class early because of the _fight,_" said Yuuki. She put a lot of emphasis on the word 'fight'. She grabbed Zero's arm and brought him to a stop. "Do you know how many problems that could have caused?" Zero gave her a cold glare and yanked his arm away.

"You have nothing to worry about. I'm sure Aidou and your other little worshippers are safe." replied Zero angrily. He turned away from Yuuki and kept walking, making his way over one of the lake's small stone bridges. Yuuki quickly followed.

"It wasn't just them I worried about!" she said crossly. She had been worried about the Night Class students, but they weren't the only ones. She had been worried about Zero, the Chairman, and all the Day Class students. If Zero had killed one of the nobles there would have been chaos from the council and many verbal attacks from vampire society upon the Academy. The statement, however, caused Zero to stop in his tracks. He turned around to face Yuuki again. The moonlight always seemed to bring out the unnatural beauty of vampires and make them seem even more inhuman, especially purebloods. It could reveal what they truly were. Zero didn't feel frightened, though, as he stared at Yuuki's perfect features. He just felt terribly confused. She always acted totally opposite from what he expected from purebloods, like her brother. And he never returned her kindness. Yuuki crossed her arms in annoyance and waited for Zero to come up with an angry retort.

"Why do you care about what happens to me?" asked Zero. The anger in Yuuki's eyes quickly turned to shock. She had not been expecting that question from him. Yuuki thought about it for a second. She cared about Zero because… they were the same in a way. Their parents were killed by a pureblood. Yuuki also hoped that somehow she could find a way to change the hunter's opinion about pacifism.

"Remember, Zero? I told you that I understood." she replied. She saw a flash of recognition in Zero's eyes and she smiled sadly.

Zero knew she was referring to the time when they lived together at Cross' house, after she had healed his neck. Zero could practically hear her high-pitched voice screaming that she '_knew what it was like to have the ones you care about taken away by a monster'. _She must have been talking about her parents, the two adults that Zero had seen in her lockets picture. He never thought to ask the Chairman how Yuuki had ended up living with him or how Yuuki's parents had died. Against his better judgment, Zero decided to voice his thoughts.

"What happened to your parents?"

Yuuki froze. She was sure that Zero saw the pain and fear that had flashed briefly in her eyes. How was she supposed to answer him? The council told the vampire society that Haruka and Juuri committed suicide; a death that was not uncommon for purebloods. If Kaname and Yuuki had told everyone the truth, that Rido had killed their parents, then the council would have been swift in labeling them as 'grief stricken' or 'insane'. Both of them would be locked away with no hope of escape. There was no one in society that Yuuki could trust with this secret. Honestly, Yuuki could not say that she trusted Zero. She cared about him but he was still a hunter. The real reason Zero was a guardian was because he wanted to learn the best ways to kill vampires. She wasn't sure what he would do with the information of her parents' deaths.

"My parents died when I was five years old. I don't like talking about it…" She turned away from Zero and continued walking towards the dorms. She didn't start talking again until she was sure he was following her. "The Chairman was a friend of my mother. He was kind enough to take me in despite the dangers it could bring to his safety."

"Why didn't you just live with your brother and another noble family?"

"I…" Yuuki didn't know how to continue. She didn't really feel like going into the dynamics of vampire society with him. It was too complicated for even an intelligent person like Zero to grasp quickly. "As a vampire hunter you are taught the hierarchy of vampire society, but not how that society works. I don't want to bore you."

"What wouldn't I understand? Purebloods are worshipped and the nobles serve them. That's it." said Zero. He was offended that Yuuki thought he didn't understand anything about his prey. He was surprised when Yuuki suddenly let out a humorless laugh.

"You really think it's that simple? That we purebloods have all the control and that we have nothing to fear? You couldn't be more wrong, Zero. Other vampires would do anything to…" Yuuki absently traced a vein on her wrist. "…get the thick and powerful blood running through our veins."

"But they wouldn't dare attack you. Purebloods have powers that surpass those of any noble vampire," replied Zero.

"You can never know who to trust, though. Someone can respect you to your face but plot against you behind your back. The council does everything they can to control and manipulate purebloods, and if you try to get away from their grasps they hunt you down or lock you away. When I was first introduced into the vampire society I didn't really understand any of that. Everyone seemed so reverential and kind to me as they offered their condolences for the loss of my parents. But, when they didn't know I was looking, they… changed. They said the same things as before but with contemptuous smiles on their faces. They laughed at my loss as they mockingly said they would take care of me."

Yuuki hadn't felt more trapped then after she moved out of Cross' estate and into vampire society. The council had insisted that they pick the guards to watch over her while she was living at the Aidou mansion. Yuuki always felt watched every second and could never relax unless she was alone in her room or with Kaname. She wanted more than anything just to go back to the blissful days when she lived at Cross' house.

Yuuki and Zero finally arrived at the Sun Dorms. Zero had remained silent during Yuuki's whole speech. He looked up when he realized she had stopped talking. He noticed she was giving him the strong yet gentle gaze she was known for.

"You have a reason to hate vampires, Zero. Vampires can be wretched and untrustworthy creatures sometimes. But… we aren't all like that. Pacifism between vampires and humans is very important to me. _Please _don't go looking for fights." she said. Their talk had brought up many painful memories and she was desperate to just forget about them for a while. She faked a smile and waved at Zero before departing. The prefect watched her back as she walked away from him. He had many questions to ask her because her words had left him doubtful. She must have made some of the story up. If Yuuki had really gone through that much there was no way she would be able to smile so often.

Yuuki entered the Chairman's office without knocking. She was sure that the man was still up, even at this late hour. When Yuuki stepped into the office she saw the Chairman Cross sitting behind his desk. He was still the same kind and eccentric man he had been when she first met him. He was currently at his desk going through some paperwork. When he saw Yuuki his face lit up and he smiled.

"Good evening, Yuuki! I'm guessing you came here to talk about the little scuffle my cute son and Night Class students were in? I thought Kaname-kun would come instead." Yuuki wasn't really surprised that the Chairman already knew about the fight. She wished he would take it more seriously, though. She made her way into the room and sat on the chair across from him.

"You don't have to worry about the Night Class students, Chairman. Kaname will take care of them. Actually, I came here to talk to you about Zero." she replied.

"No need to worry, Yuuki. Tomorrow I will give Zero a long lecture on his behavior." said Cross. He looked up at Yuuki with a reassuring smile but he could tell something was still bothering her. She twisted a strand of her hair around her finger nervously.

"Yes, Zero is too eager to start a fight with the Night Class students. But that's not what I'm worried about. After the fight when I was alone with him he… collapsed. It was from bloodlust, I could see it in his eyes." Yuuki looked at the man across from her. His expression had become serious and he was listening to her attentively. "The change is happening Chairman. What are you going to do?"

Cross took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel Yuuki's questioning gaze on him. He sighed before explaining the situation to her.

"I gave him a container of blood tablets a week ago but I don't know if he has taken away. You know how stubborn Kiryu-kun can be. Anytime I try to talk to him about the matter he pushes me away." Yuuki nodded in understanding. The Chairman didn't really know how to communicate with Zero. Actually, Zero didn't really communicate that much with anyone.

"The process of transforming from a human to a vampire is said to be extremely painful. And especially when he has suppressed his vampire side for four years… I can't even begin to imagine what he must be going through," said Yuuki sadly. Cross watched as her expression became one of pity and dejection. He really didn't want to see that on her face. Yuuki shouldn't be upset over things she had no control over.

"I promise I'll take care of Zero, Yuuki," said Cross comfortingly. "Go back to your dorm and get some sleep. I'm sure Kaname-kun is really worried about you."

The Chairman was right. She would get a good night's rest and deal with everything tomorrow. Kaname was probably really worried about her. Yuuki rose from her seat and made her way to the door. She was just about to go through it, but she turned around to look at Cross.

"Chairman?"

"Yes, Yuuki?"

"You-You should really consider taking Zero out of the Day Class."

Kaname entered through the door of his and Yuuki's suite. He had just come back from disciplining the students who were in the fight. Rima, Aidou, Shiki, and Ruka had to go through a week of suspension and perform menial chores that were usually done by the dorm staff. Kaname licked off a trail of blood that still remained on his finger. Aidou had spoken out against his punishment and even had the audacity to bring Yuuki into the conversation. The blonde vampire was lucky the slap mark on his face healed quickly. Aidou had an unshakeable loyalty that Kaname was thankful for, but the pureblood wasn't oblivious to the noble's affection for _his _Yuuki.

Kaname took of his jacket and loosened his tie as he made his way to the sitting room sofa. He collapsed upon with total exhaustion. The Night Class was particularly hard to control tonight with the scent of so much blood in the air. Maybe Yuuki was right about him getting more sleep. Speaking of Yuuki… where was she? She should have been back to the dorms by now. Kaname tried to control the sudden panic he felt. He had sent Seiren to watch Yuuki after the bodyguard had told him Yuuki was left alone with Kiryu. That boy could not be trusted around Yuuki. And that untrustworthy and violent boy definitely did not deserve to be around her. Even though he knew Yuuki was in love with him, not Zero, Kaname could not control the jealous beast inside him every time he saw Yuuki talk to him.

Kaname trusted Yuuki more than anyone but there were some things he just wasn't ready to tell her. What if Yuuki thought of him as a monster if he told her he wasn't really her brother? Would she still love him if she found out he was the original ancestor of the Kuran clan, a vampire that had been feared for centuries? Kaname already suspected that Yuuki knew Rido was still alive. Pacifism wasn't the only reason Kaname brought Yuuki to Cross Academy. He wanted to bring her somewhere where she would be free, happy, and away from the manipulative council. He wanted to keep his dear girl in her content world as long as possible.

Kaname looked up when he heard the door open slowly. He watched as Yuuki walked into the room looking utterly fatigued. He swiftly got into a sitting position as Yuuki walked towards him.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Onii-sama," said Yuuki. Kaname's eyes widened in surprise as she unexpectedly collapsed into his arms. He looked at her with concern as she pulled herself closer into his warm embrace. She buried her face in Kaname's chest as he threaded his hand in her hair. "I went to talk to the Chairman."

"I see. Tonight must have been very stressful for you." replied Kaname. Yuuki nodded, but then she pushed away slightly from Kaname and looked at him with worried eyes. She had forgotten that he must be exhausted also. She ran her fingers through his hair.

"I forgot, Kaname, that you must be really tired, too. You had to deal with the Night Class the whole time I was gone. I'll just go to my room–" Yuuki started to get up from Kaname's lap but he pulled her back down. When Yuuki looked at him questioningly Kaname just gave her a weary smile.

"No. Stay here for just a while longer." He wrapped his arm tighter around her waist and buried his face in her soft hair. "Your presence is very soothing." Yuuki looked at him doubtfully for a moment before she slowly relaxed against him again. Eventually her breathing evened out and she went into a peaceful sleep.

Yuuki sighed contently as she started to wake up. She felt much better after such a gentle and relaxing rest. She kept her eyes closed for a few moments longer. The uniform was a little unpleasant to sleep in but the warm body she was resting against was _really _comfortable and–

_W-what?! Body?! _Yuuki's eyes snapped open in shock and confusion. She rested her hands against the hard chest under her and quickly pushed herself up. Yuuki was still in the sitting room of the suite. She looked down and realized she was lying on top of _Kaname. _They must have fallen asleep like that the night before. Kaname was looking up at her with sleepy eyes and a warm smile.

"Good morning, Yuuki…"

"K-Kaname. I-I–" Yuuki tried to stutter out a reply as her face blushed a deep red. She realized the compromising position she was in and hurried to get off of him. This was so embarrassing! "Why didn't you wake me? You must have been uncomfortable with me, umm…"

Kaname smiled in amusement as Yuuki became more embarrassed and unsettled. He sat up and stared at Yuuki's adorable, blushing face. Kaname used his hand to gently turn her face in his direction. Yuuki thought there was no way she could blush any brighter as he leaned towards her, his face only a few inches away from hers.

"I was far from uncomfortable, Yuuki." said Kaname in an alluring tone. Yuuki felt her heart beat even faster as he brushed his lips against hers.

Knock! Knock!

Yuuki jumped away from Kaname as the loud knocks echoed through the room. The two purebloods looked at the door simultaneously. Yuuki heard Kaname let out a frustrated groan.

"It's Aidou."


End file.
